Northern Lights
by FeistyFox
Summary: DG knows something has changed but can't seem to find the explanation to what is eating away at her. Searching for a answers may lead her on an adventure she hadn't planed on.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: My second Tin Man fic and I still don't own it. What a shame.

She was sitting quietly in an alcove in the Tower pretending to read her book on Ozian history. In fact she was waiting for the hallway to clear out. Glancing up discreetly from the text she watched as a pair of guards walked by her. As they passed by she saw the faint traces of magic glimmer on the opposite wall. Thankfully the guards couldn't see the dark magic that was beckoning to her.

The two smartly dressed guards turned the corner and she set her book down on the bench moving swiftly across the space that separated her from the hidden doorway. It was a good thing security had relaxed in the last few months or she would have never been able to sneak away long enough to do this. It was also lucky that Cain wasn't going to be back for another few days. Because if he knew what she was about to do he'd probably just go ahead and kill her.

Even she had to admit that this was a bad idea. Walking into the recently melted witch's secret study was bound to lead to trouble. Unfortunately she had exhausted all her other options. And the tower was set to be demolished in a week, if she didn't get the book out today she wasn't sure she'd get another chance. It was terribly convenient that Glitch was in recovery and her family thought she needed some space to calm down. While she felt bad about using him as an excuse, well that was just how the cookie crumbled.

Gazing up and down the hall once more to make sure no one was going to witness this she placed a hand flat against the invisible door and let her light flare. It easily overpowered the dark lock and the wall melted away revealing a narrow archway that stood in front of a rickety spiral staircase that plunged down into the darkness. She stepped through the door and considered the stairs. They were rusted and cobwebby. Not creepy at all, oh no.

She sighed and let her light seep into her hands. She was way to stubborn to turn back now. At least her hand was more convenient than a flashlight. Placing her foot on the first step she was very grateful that she could glow like a light bright because the door closed behind her swallowing the sunlight that had been filtering in from the hallway. She grabbed the handrail and cautiously made her way down the stairs.

They weren't nearly as long as she had been afraid they would be. She had reached the bottom after only three rotations feeling a bit dizzy. Directly in front of the stairs she came face to face with a second door. This one was not hidden by magic but had one hell of a formidable lock on it. She was glad she knew about this one as well or she would have been pissed. Reaching into her jacket pocket she pulled out a large bronze key, inserted it into the lock and twisted. She heard the tumblers clank open and grinned.

She pushed the door open and into what could only be describe as a magical mad scientist lab gone wild. She let her light intensify as she took in her surroundings. Even knowing what this place looked like in her mind hadn't prepared her to face it in person. In her mind there had been no smell, no touch, no taste of evil energy in the air. She shuddered when she spotted a shelf full of pieces of people floating in jars on one large shelf.

Turning her eyes away she walked carefully across the room to the far wall. It was dominated by a large wooden bookshelf. It was intricately carved with dark creatures that appeared to be crawling, sliding, or flying over the smooth wood. The witch had had no taste at all. But she had found what she was looking for. Bending down on one knee she reached her hand carefully into the second shelf and removed five thick books sitting them next to her on the dusty floor.

She found what she had come here for behind them. Resting in a hole carved into the shelf she pried out a long thin tome. It was very old and she handled it with the utmost care. Once it was free she studied the book in the light pulsing from her hand. The leather binding was a deep faded green and it was cracking around the edges of the binding. She blew across the surface of it gently and dust rose up off of it in small whirlwinds.

She hoped this would have the answers she was looking for because no other book she had frantically searched through had. She counted herself lucky that the last book she'd read had mentioned this particular volume in passing. Tucking it under her arm she replaced the other books back on the shelf in case anyone else decide to venture down here before this place was destroyed. Good thing she was now the only one that remembered that this book was hidden here.

She left the room quickly before her curiosity could get the best of her. She figured the last thing she needed was to explain to her mother why she was poking around in a magical serial killers workshop, assuming they found her at all. Shutting the door behind her she locked the door tucking the key back into her pocket. She'd need to return it before Ahamo was any the wiser. Good thing she was good at petty theft. It had been fun to learn just to piss off Gulch.

Running up the stairs she pressed her ear against the archway listening intently for any noises before she opened the door. Hearing nothing she let her magic open the door and slipped out. Grabbing her history book she shoved her newly acquired reading material between its pages and headed to her room. Her heart nearly stopped beating when she ran across Tutor one hallway down from her room. She had been so freaking close!

"Good morning Princess. Shouldn't you be with Ambrose?" He gazed at her with only the slightest suspicion.

She put on her best-worried eyes and scuffed a foot on the floor averting her eyes. "I know, but I just needed some air ya know?" She laced guilt into her words. "You don't think Glitch'll be angry do you?"

Toto's eyes softened. Damn she was good, that or he was really bad at reading her. "I'm sure he'll understand Princess. Why don't you go put your book away and we can go wait for him to wake up together."

She let a reluctant and sheepish smile crawl across her face. "Really? That'd be nice, thanks Toto."

She didn't give him a chance to scold her or catch her with the contraband. She dashed off around the corner and into her room shutting the door firmly behind her. She tossed the history book carelessly on her desk after she removed her prize from inside of it. Frustrated that she had no time to read it now she rushed to her wardrobe and hid the book in a battered trunk her Roboparents had managed to retrieve from the Otherside a few weeks ago. She shoved cloths, photo albums, and yearbooks aside and placed the book at the very bottom before concealing it.

She closed the trunk and latched it before she backed away reluctantly. She had to meet Toto or he would come after her. She paused at her vanity to make sure no dust had settled on her. That would be a dead give away for sure. The young woman that gazed back out at her from the mirror was not the same one that had tumbled out of a travel storm a few months back.

Her eyes had dark circles under them and her normally bright blue eyes had dulled. The mischievous light that she was so used to seeing reflected back at her had vanished weeks ago. She'd lost weight as well. She had managed to hide that fact fairly well insisting on wearing men's pants and loose shirts. The only thing she found to be grateful for was that no one seemed to notice.

This was most likely a combination of factors. Her Roboparents had gone to Milltown to help rebuild their hometown a few weeks back. She had wished them well, happy that they had thought to bring her some of her things from home. They had promised to come visit her soon and she figured she'd be out to Milltown sooner rather than latter to heal the Papay Fields at any rate.

Her real parents simply hadn't been around her enough to know that anything about her had changed. That and the fact that they spent so little time around her had helped tremendously. She didn't blame them, they had a country to rebuild and the O.Z. knew she didn't have the knowledge to help with that. When they did meet for meals she had started casting very low-level glamours on her baggy eyes so they wouldn't notice her exhaustion.

Az was so wrapped up in her own troubles that she was mostly unaware of what was going on around her. She supposed slowly draining away Az's nightmares while she was sleeping was helping her sister but it was hardly aiding her already troubled sleep. She figured it was worth it if it meant her sister got to sleep through the night. She figured one of them should be.

Raw had left the same day as her Roborents to take Kalm back with him to the Viewers tribe they came from. He said he'd return before winter. She wished he'd waited a few days more before he left because the nightmares had started a week after that. She though he would at least be able to help her sleep once and a while.

Glitch, while still here, was well Glitching. He had noticed the change in her but just as quickly forgot he noticed. So far he hadn't mentioned anything in front of anyone else. He was so excited about his surgery that he had gotten even worse about remembering things. She hoped that once he was up he would have the good sense to keep his mouth shut about it. After all he was supposed to be the smartest man in the O.Z. Maybe she should just start leaving her glamour on all the time. With that thought she scrunched her nose placing it over her face.

She stood from the chair in front of her mirror. She really hated the thing. It was all spindly and breakable looking. It was just like the rest of the furniture in this place. She would give her left leg for a big overstuffed couch to flop down on. She moved to the door brooding.

She figured she only had about three days left to figure this mystery out. Because once Cain got back the game would be up. She would give him fifteen seconds to realize something was horribly wrong. Damn him and his Tin Man senses. He had been gone for two months to catch up with Jeb. When he told her he was leaving he must have seen the sadness in her eyes. He had rushed to assure her that he would be back in two months and was going to accept the position as her personal bodyguard.

She had perked up at that and he had given her a rare smile when she had squealed happily and thrown her arms around his neck. He had patted her back promising it would be a short trip and that he would do his best not to get shot again. She had punched him on the arm and told him that if he died she hunt him down and kill him. He had brushed her hair behind her ear and nodded seriously.

The promise of the return of her closest friend had gotten her through the first month of her new life. Then she had almost lost track of time when the dreams started. She had no idea what they were only that she no longer felt like she used to. She was beginning to worry about her sanity.

Leaving her room she found Toto waiting outside and they walked down a flight of stairs toward the infirmary. She no longer had to pretend to be worried. She hoped Glitch would be up soon so they could know if the surgery had worked. Rounding the last corner with her teacher she found her family sitting outside the operating room in different states of anxiousness.

Her eyes fell on a figure leaning casually against a wall. Duster falling from his shoulders and hat tilted over his eyes Cain stood waiting with them. She sucked in a breath. His head came up and he smiled at her. For the first time in a month a real smile took over her face and she threw herself across the distance between them wrapping her arms around him.

He laughed softly in her ear before he set her down. His light blue eyes were sparkling when he met hers. "Hey there Princess. Did you miss me?"

Author Note: New Story! New Plot! Woot! Leave me a review.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

For the moment her smile refused to fade. "Of course I missed you! You were gone way to long! And not that I'm complaining but why are you back early?"

His eyes flickered confused although the twinkle didn't disappear. "I'm a day late Princess. I thought you'd be pummeling me by this point."

Well shit. She was more messed up then she thought she was. How had she lost track of time that badly? She could work that out later, right now she needed a lie and fast. Using what acting ability she had, which wasn't much, she forced a blush to her cheeks and scratched the back of her neck. "Sorry, I guess Glitch's surgery threw me off." What was that, the third time she's used Glitch as an out today? She was such a bad person.

And she was only half sure Cain bought it. He was eyeing her up and down for the first time since he got back. What conclusion he came to in those few seconds he didn't share his eyes unreadable but he nodded before jerking his thumb toward her mother. "Best go sit with them for now. We can talk tonight after you know Glitch no longer resembles a piece of luggage."

She moved back a little and winked as cheekily as possible at him. "Sure thing Tin Man. I want to hear all about your exciting adventures outside these grey walls of dullness." With that she trotted past him toward her parents to wait. She felt Cain's eyes follow her and did her best to act normally. Fortunately Toto proved to be an excellent distraction and started a quiet conversation with him.

Avoiding Cain's piercing gaze she caught sight of her sister trying not to huddle into herself farther along the hall. Changing course she made a beeline for Az breezing past the royal couple. Her mother smiled serenely as she passed and her father twined his fingers with hers. They were so cute it was almost sickening. Good thing she liked to see them so content or she might have to go throw up.

She plopped down next to Az on the floor effectively using her sister's body as a shield from prying blue eyes. Az blinked down at her obviously wondering why she was using the floor instead of a chair. "What's up, sister mine?"

Az's eyebrows came together. "What?"

Her lip twitched, god she loved her sister. "Are you alright?"

Az's dark eyes were sad. She reached her hand up and latched on to Az's. Her sister leaned down and whispered to her. "It was my fault his brain was out in the first place."

Her head reared back and she stood up pulling Az to her feet and dragging her down the hallway and around a corner. She ignored the questioning glances she was receiving. This was not their problem. Once they were out of earshot she turned to her taller sibling.

"Az none of this was your fault. We've been over this. You were possessed by a crazy psycho witch that I let loose ok?"

Az turned to look down the hallway guiltily. "I know Deege… but I didn't even try to stop her from hurting Ambrose… and I knew him, he was so nice to me when we were younger."

Her heart twisted. "Az, Glitch never blamed you for this. By the time the witch captured him you'd been under her control for years. You were tired and hurt and scared. Your not to blame."

Her sister nodded reluctantly. "I know but-"

"No buts! Besides, he'll be awake soon and back to being Ambrose. If you absolutely must apologize, and you have no reason too, wait until he's lucid enough to tell you your being silly." She squeezed her hand. "Promise?"

Az fidgeted nervously. "Alright Deege I promise."

She smiled smugly at her sister. Az was getting better about the guilt thing but it was taking time. Sometimes she just needed a bit of a push. "Good. Are you ready to go back or do you need a minute?"

Az straightened her shoulders looking all the world like the Princess she was in her soft green gown. They were solar opposites when it came to dressing but she didn't mind. It was easier for her to go unnoticed when her pretty sister walked by. Not that she thought she was ugly but fading into the background at the moment was kind of a high priority for her. "I'm fine. I want to be there when he wakes up."

They walked back to the others in comfortable silence. They made it in time to avoid all kinds of pesky questions as the doors to the recovery room opened and an Alchemist stepped out. Unlike the men under the witch's command he was dressed in plain black slacks and a white shirt rolled up at the sleeves. He was an older man who looked to be in his seventies, although she learned that aging was vastly different in the O.Z. He was balding slightly and appeared to be very pleased with himself.

His voice was very low pitched. "Advisor Ambrose is awake. You may see him but please only two at a time, he's very tired."

The tension in the hallway drained away as the group relaxed. Her mother gave her a soft smile and waved a hand at the door. "Go on my Angel. I know you've been worried."

She didn't wait for a second invitation. Dashing past the old man she rushed down a short sterile hallway and turned left into the last room. She had been told where he would be several hours before. She opened the door quietly and approached Glitch's softly breathing form. Reaching his bed she touched his hand lightly.

"Glitch? Are you awake?" She whispered the words not wanting to disturb him if he had dozed back off.

His toffee colored eyes opened slowly and he grinned at her. "Hey there Cupcake. How's it look?"

Relieved that he recognized her she moved toward the top of his bed to inspect his head critically. The zipper was gone replaced with a large pink scare just as the Alchemist said it would be. He also said in a few weeks his hair would begin to grow back. "Hate to tell you but you'll never gleam in the early morning sun again Glitch."

He gave a genuine but weak laugh his fingers wrapping gently around hers. She moved back to see him. She tilted her head at him when she met his eyes. They were still warm and caring but they were no longer blank. "Do you remember who you are Ambrose?"

His eyes closed for a heart beat then refocused on her in wonder. "Yes. I remember everything."

She grinned at him goofily. "That's awesome! I'm so glad. Everyone else will be too." She went to turn still talking. "I'll go get them! They want to see you too."

His fingers tightened on hers and she paused turning back to him. His eyes were suddenly very serious. "DG, are you alright?"

Her heart sank faster than a Munchkin dropping out of a tree. He really did remember everything and she had no way of explaining this to him. Her eyes begged him to understand and then she froze in horror when she heard Cain behind her.

"Why wouldn't the Kid be alright?" His voice was calmly curious. As if he were asking about the weather. How the hell had he managed to sneak up on them like this? She could tell from Glitch's expression that he had not intended to be overheard, especially by a man he didn't know was in the tower. Glitch saw the look of horror on her face.

"She's just been a bit tired lately Cain. Nothing for you to worry about. When did you get back?" She thanked him silently when his eyes returned to hers. His hand squeezed hers once more before he let her go.

Cain gave him a half smile. "Did you think I was going to miss the big brain transplant? Feel mighty bad about that after I threatened to shoot it. Besides, I figured you wouldn't mind a friend coming to see you."

Glitch grinned up at him eyes twinkling. "That may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me Cain."

He raised an eyebrow at the advisor. "Don't let it go to your head. Now get some rest we'll be back to see you tomorrow." Cain placed a gentle hand on her side and guided her backwards toward the door.

"Get some rest brainiach, no doubt mother will be after you to solve all the O.Z.'s problems soon."

He smiled at her and she waved farewell as Cain guided her out the door. When they were back out in the hall her parents went in. Az and Toto decided to stay and wait for their turn while Cain went to unpack. She figured he wanted company since he continued to guide her along next to him.

Once he seemed sure she wasn't going to pull a Houdini his hand dropped to his side. While to a novice running seemed to be the better plan she wasn't fooled. Running was a sure sign of guilt. She needed to appear completely innocent for as long as possible. She might be able to last another ten minutes or so.

Glancing at him she figured she needed to throw him off the trail as soon as possible. "How's Jeb, oh stoic one?"

His lip twitched as they walked up a flight of stairs toward their rooms. "He's fine Princess. Been turned into a Captain in the royal army but I figure you already knew that."

She stared straight ahead so he couldn't see her face. He was fishing. Of course she knew that, she was the one that insisted he get the position in the first place. "Yeah, I may have heard a rumor about that. I actually wanted to know how you two were doing."

She risked another glance at his face and was relieved to see that his eyes had softened. She wasn't the only one that had changed in the last few months. Cain seemed to have let go of some of his stress. She wondered how far the change went, she was willing to put money on the fact that she was going to find out pretty fast.

"We're catching up. It's nice getting to know the man he's become." Sadness flashed in his eyes for the briefest moment. She had to focus so she wouldn't flinch. She gave Az a lecture about not being responsible for the last fifteen annuals at least once a week and yet she couldn't seem to apply the same logic to her own past. She sometimes worried that her friends and family would realize what she had done and take off; especially when she caught emotions like that flit across their faces.

They walked one door past her room and Cain pulled a key from the inside of his duster. Unlocking the door he stepped in and scanned the room before allowing her to follow him. She rolled her eyes but allowed it. Once he was sure the room was clear she slid past him and settled into one of the chairs next to his cold fireplace. She eyed it critically and with a flick of her fingers ignited the wood that was resting in the hearth. He jumped slightly before raising an eyebrow at her. She just smirked at him crossing her legs under her and leaning sideways in the chair so she could face him.

He crossed the room to the door that connect their suites. She found this arrangement both comforting and annoying. She would have to start being positively silent at night when she wasn't sleeping or he was going to hear her. She supposed a silencing spell would work, but then she had to worry about light leaking in under the door. She suppressed a huff of irritation.

Opening the door with the same key he walked into her room doing a quick sweep. When he returned she had her head resting on her fist, which she had propped on the arm of her chair. "What? None of my dust bunnies attacked you? I think you may get bored here Tin Man."

He walked over to the other chair and sat with a sigh. He removed his hat tossing it to the floor next to his feet. His head came up to regard her and his eyes were suddenly boring into her. She tried not to fidget as she met his ice blue gaze. "I doubt you'll let me get bored Kid. Now do you want to tell me what the Headcase was really talking about back there?"

Six minutes. Damn his Tin Man senses.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing for this or the last chapter. Why I forgot to write that I blame on the fact that it was early in the morning. So there!

She felt her hand twitch at the blunt question. No one else had noticed in a whole month and she was pretty sure he noticed as soon as she had hugged him even with her glamour firmly in place. Not that she was going to tell him; nope she was going to lie, even if it made her feel bad. She'd never lied to Cain before and it made her insides squirm uncomfortably even before she opened her mouth.

She sighed without breaking eye contact. "I'm just not sleeping much. It's probably the stress of learning to rule the kingdom. No biggie."

The set of his jaw told her he thought this was a 'biggie' as she put it. But the thing that made her look away was the disappointment she saw in his eyes. "Kid, you're a terrible liar. Even if you were a good one I can still see you've lost weight."

She gazed into the fire refusing to meet his eyes. "Don't worry about it Cain, I'm fine. Besides I want to hear about your trip."

"DG-" His voice was insistent and worried. She could out stubborn him though.

She turned back to him eyes pleading. "Please Mister Cain?"

He tried to stare her down but finally relented with a sigh. She knew him better than that, he was bidding his time. He stood up and walked over to his bed grabbing his battered leather pack. He returned to his chair digging around before his hand emerged with a brilliantly carved wooden cube that was the twice the size of his palm. She leaned forward intrigued by it.

The design laced beautifully over the small box. It was a replica of the Outer Zones solar cycle. It moved from midnight to midday and back again over the sides of the small box. She went up on her knees in the chair in order to get a closer look. Cain smiled when he spotted the delight in her eyes and held out his hand to her. Her eyes flicked up to his but she made no move to touch the delicate object. She'd probably break it.

He snorted at her and reaching out with his free hand grasped one of her smaller ones flipping it over and depositing the cube in her hand. Surprised by his sudden touch she nearly dropped it but managed to wrap her fingers around it sitting back a bit. She cocked her head at him confused but delighted with the lovely thing.

She sat examining it for a long time before she returned her attention to him. "What is it?"

He laughed at her his eyes losing their iciness. "It's a present Kid."

"A present?" Her eyebrows came together. "For me?"

He was torn between his mirth and his disbelief with her bewilderment. "Who else would it be for?"

Now she felt silly, but no one other than her Roboparents had given her a present before. Whenever she needed or wanted something on the Otherside she had used her work money to get it. She wasn't going to count the new wardrobe she had gotten; she figured that it would be embarrassing for the royal couple to see their daughter dressed in rags.

He noticed her confusion but must have put it down to the fact that she still didn't know what the cube was. "It's a puzzle box. Once you work out the combination you can get to what's inside."

Her eyes lit up in excitement. "Really! That's amazing!" She began to inspect the box more closely hoping to spot a button or lever. "Where'd you get it?" Aha! The stars could be pushed in. "This is so wicked."

She smiled back up at him waiting for his answer. He had gotten up and was tossing his few belongings in a dresser. "I made it while we were traveling."

She stopped pressing buttons. He had made this for her? She quickly returned her attention back to the box so he wouldn't see her discomfort. She simply had no idea how to respond to that. It was just about the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. She managed a coherent thought she figured she should share. "You have mad skills Cain."

He snorted as she began to try to work out the proper combination of buttons to get the box open. He sat back down as she worked on it and they had a pleasant conversation about his time away. He told her about Jeb and she made him laugh as she got increasingly frustrated with the little box. She told him he was evil and he laughed harder. She found she enjoyed making the normally serious man chuckle.

She finally managed to get it open a few minutes before they had to leave for diner. She heard a small click and paused hands poised over the box. She rotated it quickly and found a small drawer poking a few centimeters out of one of the sides. She clapped her hands and grinned up at him before she gently tugged it open.

Inside the shallow drawer rested a carved wooden comb for her hair. She lifted it out so she could see it better. The top had the same design as the puzzle box. The O.Z.'s moon rested in the center and the two suns sat on either side of it. In between the planets a smattering of stars dusted across the surface. It was gorgeous.

These must have taken him hours to make. She felt tears prick at her eyes. No one had ever once, that she could remember, spent so much time to try to make her happy. And he had made her something that he obviously wanted her to wear. Something he thought would make her feel pretty. A tear fell down her cheek before she could stop it as she clutched the comb. She felt overwhelmed by this.

Cain was suddenly in front of her his thumb whipping away her stray tear as his hand tilted her head up so she had to look at him. His eyes were worried. "DG? Do you not like it?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she pulled the comb closer to her body afraid he was going to try to take it away. "Its beautiful thank you."

This answer confounded him and he searched her face. "What's the matter Princess?"

Dropping the comb in her lap she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. He stiffened at his abrupt capture before he relaxed. "Nothing. This is the nicest present anyone ever gave me." She drew back kissing him lightly on the cheek before she scrambled out of the chair with the box and comb.

She smiled at him trying to compose herself as he blinked up at her in utter confusion. "I'll put these away and we can go to diner ok?"

He nodded still staring at her and she fled through the door to her room. She set the box and comb on her vanity gently, taking a moment to compose herself. She felt ridiculous and completely emotional. She really needed to get some sleep soon or she might go off the deep end. Even that thought didn't make sleep seem all that appealing. She was tired of the half formed images of the Ice Palace she kept having and the coldness that always followed them. And when he wasn't having her own nightmares she was generally having the one's she stole from Az, which caused her to wake up screaming, and covered in sweat. Not a good combination for rest.

Taking a breath she returned to Cain's room more calmly than she left. He had put his hat back on and was checking his gun as if it had mysteriously run out of bullets in the last few hours. She leaned against the doorframe until he noticed her. "Ready to go shoot the diner guests?"

He grunted, "Only if they try to get handsy Kiddo."

She snickered and headed to the hallway door Cain close behind her. She wasn't entirely sure what he thought about her reaction to his gift but he didn't seem upset. She hoped she hadn't gone and screwed it up for him. She nearly cringed at that but managed to keep her shoulders straight.

Diner passed pleasantly enough for them seeing as it was just her family, Toto, and Cain. Conversation flowed easily around the table as news and plans were swapped across the table. She remained largely silent as she picked at her food. She wasn't worried about Cain telling her parents something was wrong with her. He'd need to know what it was first, he was used to looking out for her, and she was confident he didn't trust anyone else enough to let on that she might be vulnerable.

She caught Cain inconspicuously watching her pretending to eat more than once but she ignored him. She was too tired to be hungry and it took most of her concentration to keep the small amount of food she did eat down. She was bidding her time now. Waiting until she could pretend to go to bed so she could sneak her book out.

Dinner finally ended and claiming that she wanted to go to sleep early she got out of family time in the study. Her parents wished her a pleasant night and she hugged Az before heading back to her room. She didn't realize until she was half way there that Cain was trailing her. She craned her neck over her shoulder and stopped waiting in the middle of the hallway while he drew even with her.

He simply raised an eyebrow at her and motioned for her to continue. She shrugged and they walked silently back to her room. Reaching her door they both stepped in and after a quick survey with his eyes he walked toward their connecting door glancing at her over his shoulder. "Let me know if you need anything DG. And try to get some sleep."

She smiled weakly at him. "Goodnight Cain. See you in the morning."

He gave her a once over before he shut the door leaving her alone at last. She moved to her wardrobe and grabbed up a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top. Her fingers itched to get to the book but she wasn't about to get it out until she was positive everyone else was out for the night. She changed quickly tossing her dirty cloths in a hamper in the bathroom before she dug her sketchpad and pencils out from under her bed.

She flipped it open as she walked over to the rug in front of her fireplace. It was by far her favorite place in her suite. She sat down leaning against the side of the fireplace and began to sketch. Four hours later and she had yet another detailed drawing of the Ice Palace. She huffed down at it annoyed. This was like, the twenty-seventh sketch she'd made of the place in two weeks.

She dropped her pencil and hit herself in the head with the pad out of sheer frustration. This was getting out of control. She tapped her foot figuring that everyone should be in bed by now. Her eyes darted to the door that separated her from Cain and she didn't see any light coming from beneath it. She crept silently to her wardrobe and opened the doors. Lifting the lid to her trunk she dug down as quietly as possible and grabbed the book. Backing away she retreated toward her bed and was about to open the book when she felt Az's magic flare.

She jerked in surprise recognizing what was happening. She dropped the book without a thought and it hit the ground with a loud thump. She wheeled around and sprinted to the door all other plans forgotten. She wrenched her door open and skidded across the hallway as her bare feet searched for purchase on the smooth floor. She nearly fell but managed to use her hands to stop her fall and continued to run down the hall.

She rounded a corner and grabbed the handle of Az's door her light flashing as the lock clicked open. Thankfully her eyes were already adjusted to the darkness and she knew where her sister would be. The first time this had happened it had scared her death, she was used to it now. Hand still glowing she wound her way around her sister's furniture and sat on the edge of her sister's bed.

Az was beginning to thrash a sheen of sweat on her forehead. Her blankets were twisted around her slender body as her eyelids fluttered. Before the nightmare could get any worse or her sister could wake up and discover her she placed her softly glowing hand on her forehead and concentrated.

To her surprise Az tried to fight her out. This had never happened before. Her forehead wrinkled in annoyance and she bent down to whisper soothingly in her sister's ear. "It's alright Az. It's only me, let me take the nightmare away for you."

Her sister's body went limp and her light flowed through her like a gentle wave gathering the images and memories that were haunting her sister and washing them out of her sleeping mind. Once she had them gathered to her she had no choice but to let them seep into her. She'd tried to let them spin off into nothingness more than once but it only made things worse.

Steeling herself for the onslaught she recoiled as she was blasted with the memory that had so disturbed her sister's slumber. It was the day her mother and Glitch had been captured. Only this time Raw wasn't there to stop the memory when Glitch was finally sedated before they ripped out his brain. She clutched the side of her sister's bed as she was forced to see the surgery all the way through and feel the witch's delight in what she had done.

She stood shakily to her feet nearly toppling over. She pulled the blanket back over her sister's body and backed slowly away from the bed. She felt sick to her stomach. Her light had petered out of existence as the memory overwhelmed her. She turned wanting to get back to her room before she lost control of her stomach. Cain was standing soundlessly in the doorway gun in hand in his pants and shirt half open. How long had he been watching?

She refused to meet his eyes as she past him closing the door and staggering back down the hall to her room. She nearly fell over outside her door but Cain caught her around her waist opening the door as she regained her footing. Before he could say anything she tripped into her bathroom slamming the door behind her so he wouldn't see her get sick.

She made it to the toilet throwing up what food she'd managed to keep down that day. She really wished her hair had been up before Az had decided to go into another one of her night terrors. Suddenly she felt a cool hand on her forehead and another pull her hair behind her shoulders. She sat shaking and gasping head resting against the cool marble of the seat.

The hands left her and she heard water running as Cain moved around the bathroom. She felt him sit down behind her and then her hair was pushed to the side and a cool cloth was placed on her neck. She shuddered as the cold snapped her back to reality and away from the vision of her friend being tortured swimming in front of her eyes. He moved the cloth up to her face, and then wrapping an arm gently around her middle to get her to sit up, he laid it across her forehead.

She allowed him to pull her gently against his chest and focused on her breathing as his hand left her waist and ran slowly up and down her arm. His voice was soft but she knew she wasn't going to get away from him this time. "I think you need to tell me what's going on DG."

Author Note: Whew fun time! Cain may even get to find out what's wrong with her next chapter. Anyway leave me one.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Oh hey guys! Just in case I haven't been clear I don't own Tin Man… although if anyone knows how I could go about getting my hands on the rights let me know.

"I may be taking Az's nightmare away." Obviously this was true. She winced internally at this pathetic explanation.

Cain stopped his gentle caress with a frustrated sigh. She found it slightly disturbing that this disappointed her. "Are you going to be sick again?"

She considered this question carefully. "I don't think so."

"Alright, lets at least talk about this while sitting on something soft." He began to get to his feet dragging her up with him.

"Talk about what Cain?" Hadn't she just told him what he'd expected to hear? Now he could leave her alone. Her luck was so not that good.

His voice had an icy edge to it when he snapped out a response. "Don't insult my intelligence! We're going to talk about whatever it is you're hiding from me Princess!"

She flinched away from him and leaned against the counter for support. "Can I brush my teeth before you yell at me anymore?"

"You have three minutes Princess, then you'd best be out of here or I will be dragging you out. Am I clear?" There was the grumpy Tin Man she knew. If the cold fury in his voice weren't directed at her she would have known how to handle him. Instead it made her want to hide.

She gazed past him at the dark wall. "Yes, your crystal clear Mister Cain."

He turned on his heel shutting the bathroom door behind him with a snap. She twitched at his anger but was sure that the 'dragging her out thing' was not an idle threat. She grabbed her toothbrush and washed away the taste of bile from her mouth as quickly as possible. Rinsing she straightened and gathering her muddle thoughts she exited the bathroom.

Cain was standing in front of her lit fireplace with the old green book under his arm and her sketchpad in his hands. He still hadn't buttoned his shirt up all the way and was flipping through her sketchbook as if he owned it. His eyes were unreadable when they came up to look at her. He used her drawings to indicate that she should sit at one of the chairs located next to him.

This combined with his anger pissed her off. There was no way in hell she was going to act like a fugitive in custody! And he had her book damn it! The book she had rightfully stolen! For the moment her anger burned away her exhaustion as she moved calmly over to him and snatched the book out from under his arm. His eyes flashed at her and his jaw clenched as she held the tome to her chest and glared back at him.

He suddenly dismissed her and turned back to her drawings without a word. She bristled clutching the book more tightly to her. He continued to page through them one eyebrow raised when he noticed the ice theme. She turned away having come to the conclusion that having a staring contest with someone who was ignoring you was idiotic.

She sat in one of the chairs pulling her legs up to her chest, effectively hiding the book from view. She was not going to let him take it away from her after all the trouble she'd gone through to get it. He eventually reached the image she had finished less than an hour ago and stared down at her. She refused to make this easy for him and simply stared into the fire.

"What are these?" He held the last sketch up in front of her face.

She barely spared her newest drawing a glance. "Architectural still lives."

She could have sworn she heard his jaw crack at that one. Almost immediately his face replaced the sketchbook. His eyes were flashing in annoyance. "DG, why do you keep drawing this?"

"I don't know!" All her frustration was hurled into the sentence. She felt like she might start to cry as she pressed herself back farther into the chair wrapping her arms around her legs. She began to shake again and was gazing anywhere but at her bodyguard, the book was digging into her ribs.

He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. His voice was considerably more gentle. "Ok Princess. How about you start from the beginning?"

She gave him a skeptical glance hand moving toward the book again. What if he thought she was crazy? Would he tell her parents? Would he leave again? He followed the movement then met her eyes. "DG do you trust me?"

His eyes were so open at that moment. She nodded in response to his question. "Yes Cain." She had thought that went without saying. She was almost hurt that he had asked. She trusted this man more than anyone else she'd ever met.

"Then give me the book. I promise you can have it back but your scaring me Kid." He let go of her shoulder with one hand and held it out waiting for her to make her decision.

She whimpered softly. She really didn't want to give up her book, it might be the only place she could find an answer. She gripped the edge of it eyes still locked on his. "Promise?" It came out as a soft whisper.

"I promise DG." Cain had never lied to her before so she gave in. Shifting her legs slightly she reluctantly handed him the old book. He took it carefully from her and leaning over placed it on the other chair sitting by the hearth.

He continued to kneel in front of her so they were at eye level and his hand moved to her knee. "The beginning Kiddo." He prompted her.

"After you left I was walking by Az's room one night and heard her crying. I went into her room to try to wake her up but my magic reacted before I knew what was happening and I took her dream away. It scared me but when the vision faded she was sleeping fine." She continued on unapologetic. "I started waiting for her to fall asleep then I sneak in when they start."

Cain started to run his thumb in a slow circle above her knee his eyes never leaving her face. "There not usually as bad as the one tonight." She didn't want to tell him what it had been about. "I was losing sleep but it wasn't all that bad until a month ago. I was still getting as much shut eye as I did when I was working and going to school on the Otherside. Then I started having my own nightmares and stopped sleeping altogether."

Her eyes went distant and she hadn't realized she had stopped talking until Cain squeezed her knee. "DG?"

She refocused on him. She shifted uncomfortably. "I keep seeing the Ice Palace. Over and over and over. Then I remembered the day the witch had Az kill me. I can feel the spell choking me ever time I dream about it. I never remembered that before. I still don't remember very much about my life before I was sent away."

She could see the worry in his eyes but now that she started telling him all she wanted to do was finish. She thought if he interrupted her she wouldn't be able to tell him what she was afraid of. "I think something went wrong when Mother brought me back Cain. I don't feel right anymore. It's like I came back to the O.Z. and now it's trying to drain me away. I've been through the library and can't find anything about bringing someone back to life. I don't think you're supposed to do that."

She had to focus to keep her eyes on his during that last part. "Then last week Az had a dream about the witch researching it when we were hunting for the emerald. I recognized the title from another book I'd been reading." She glanced back over to the green leather object on the chair.

Cain had gone very still. "Why haven't you talked to anyone about this?"

"I asked Toto about it but I don't think he understood why I wanted to know. He said only a powerful mage can bring someone back to life. Then he gave me a history lesson on the Gale house like it was some kind of brilliant segway into my lineage."

"And your parents? Or Azkadilla?" She could sense his uncertainty about her secrecy. She was not the type that kept things bottled up inside. She wore her heart on her sleeve and never failed to tell people what she was thinking as he'd learned the hard way.

"Az is still coping with what happened. I wasn't about to waltz in and ask her to relive the day she killed me. She can barely look me in the eyes some days as it is."

He started to prod her then. Something about the way she was avoiding the subject of her parents tipped him off. "Why not ask the Queen? She's the one that brought you back."

She finally lost her nerve and tore her eyes away from his and her fingers clenched at her bare legs. "Their strangers Cain. I can barely remember being with them. Besides, they're busy trying to rebuild the country. I didn't see a point in worrying them until I knew I was out of options."

"Kid, they love you, they wont hurt you." She heard the incredulity in his voice. Her fingers twitched again as her stomach knotted. In her experience parental love did not necessarily equate to trust. Momster and Popsicle had sure loved her but that hadn't stopped them from lying to her for fifteen years. In her opinion that had hurt a hell of a lot.

Cain reached up to her face turning it back to his searching. His cool blue eyes found more questions than answers. For the moment he dropped the parent subject. "You don't look like you haven't been sleeping DG."

Damn it. He saw the thought flicker across her eyes and raised his eyebrow waiting. She mumbled out the answer he was searching for. "I've been using glamours so no one would notice."

His lip twitched. "Of course you're using your magic. You don't do things by halves… Will you drop your spell for me?"

She gave him the evil eye. "No. I look like crap."

He laughed at her his thumb caressing her face again. She was so tired she didn't think about it when she leaned into his hand and she was only distantly aware that he didn't try to pull back. His eyes were soft again and she was glad he wasn't mad at her anymore.

Lips quirked at one side he held her face. "Come on Princess drop the spell for your Tin Man."

She groaned but let her magic fall away. His hand stilled and his amusement faded. The worried eyes snapped back into play. "See? I told you I look awful!" Irrationally bothered that it mattered what she looked like to him she tried to get off the chair and away from the worried eyes. They made her stomach do weird flip-flops.

As she stood so did Cain. He moved to the side and she could have shouted with joy over the fact that he was letting her get away. But she was wrong. The moment she stepped past him he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him as he sat on the vacated chair. She made a high-pitched squeaking noise as she landed in a tangled heap.

He chuckled at her colorful cursing and easily untangled her so she was leaning back against him with her feet tucked neatly against the side of his body. Once she was balanced an arm wrapped around her hips and he twisted his foot to hook around a near by footstool which he dragged over. Once it was in place he propped both feet up on it and relaxed back into the chair.

She growled at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you get a decent nights sleep. Now relax, I'll make sure the dreams stay away." He stated this in his most matter of fact Tin Man way.

"Are you crazy? How are you going to stop me from dreaming? Are you going to threaten them with your gun?" He was taking this protecting thing a little far.

He opened one eye to regard her. "Have you tried sleeping with someone next to you?"

Her mouth dropped open. That was downright nosy! She wasn't entirely sure how to go about answering that question without humiliating herself. Snapping her mouth shut she huffed at him. "No."

"Then how do you know it won't work?"

She considered this. He might have a point. Plus she hadn't slept in days so she was willing to try nearly anything. "Fine, but if I freak out don't say I didn't warn you." She waved her hand and a blanket fell over them. She felt Cain twitch below her. She scooted down a bit so she could tuck her head against his shoulder. His arm readjusted around her and she could hear his heart thumping steadily under her ear. He smelled nice too.

"Go to sleep DG we'll work this out in the morning." His voice rumbled through her body and for the first time in weeks she felt herself really relax.

"Goodnight Cain. Sorry I'm so much trouble."

He chuckled softly. "Kid, if you weren't trouble I wouldn't know what to do with you. Someone has to keep me on my toes, might as well be the girl that saved me with a stick."

She smiled as sleep rolled over her glad her Tin Man was back. Life just hadn't been the same without him.

Author Note: New chapters are fun right? Yeah I like them to! I also like your reviews cause you guys are wicked awesome, like Cain's hat. That was a good analogy right? You should leave me a review for sucking up!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man just want to.

She watched in horror as Glitch was strapped down to the operating table. She saw one of the leather dressed Alchemists drawing closer to him, a weird metal tool in his hand. She lunged toward the man hoping she could stop him before he could hurt her cheery friend. Someone grabbed her from behind and held her firmly back. Angry she started to thrash violently at her captor, no one was going to hurt Glitch again.

"Wake up Kid!" Cain's familiar voice cut through the nightmare and she jerked back to consciousness.

He was holding her against him as she panted. He had one arm firmly around her shoulders and the other against the length of her side. She opened her eyes turning her head into the crook of his neck so he couldn't see her face. She knew the haunted look in them all to well; he didn't need to get acquainted with it. She was concentrating on getting her heart rate back to a normal state when she felt his arm loosen and move to her neck. When his fingers started to massage her tense muscles she went limp against him.

"Great Gale DG, are they always that bad?" His voice flowed over her washing away the images. He may have been worried, but him being there sure made her feel a whole lot better about the situation.

"No. Az's dream last night was really bad." She hoped that was reassuring. She also hoped he could hear her since she still had her face pressed into his neck.

His hand continued to kneed her muscles moving slowly down her neck to her shoulders. Her brain was starting to perk up and she actually felt awake enough to process this. Cain was touching her without prompting. She had not initiated this or asked to be comforted in any way. Ok, now she was confused. Cain wasn't the touchy type, he usually freaked out when she hugged him. Her brain backtracked. That wasn't right either.

He had touched her a number of times since he had come back and didn't seem at all uncomfortable with it. She could find no reason for this. Maybe his time with Jeb had helped him to relax his guard; this could be how he acted before he had been placed in the suit. That had to be it. She wanted to continue to pursue this idea, if only to set her mind at ease when he started talking again.

"What was it about?"

She shivered her legs curling up toward her chest as she subconsciously tried to alleviate her stress. Her eyes were closed tight and her hands fisted into Cain's shirt. "She was dreaming about Glitch's surgery. He was so brave when the witch caught him."

She felt Cain sigh below her his hand came up and stroked her hair. Her hands loosened their death grip and her eyes opened. Light was pouring in the window of her room. She lifted her head abruptly. "How long was I sleeping?"

Cain turned his head eyes still fuzzy from sleep to judge the light rays. "About six hours. Second sun's been up for an hour or so."

"Crap!" She tossed the blanket off them and wiggled out from under his arms. "I'm late for my lesson! Toto's going to kill me!"

She scrambled across the room and wrenched her wardrobe doors open. Snatching a dark blue embroidered top from a hanger she lifted the lid of her trunk grabbing the first pair of jeans she could get her hands on. Unfortunately they were mostly buried under her other possessions and when she yanked them out a number of items went flying out. She cursed grabbing a pair of underwear and jumping over the mess sprinting into the bathroom.

She heard Cain snort in amusement at her as the door shut but she ignored him. She did not need yet another lecture from Toto. They were always dead dull and made her want to hurt him. She turned on the faucets of her tub hoping the water would be warm by the time it was full. It wasn't. She let out a soft shriek as the icy water hit her skin but scrubbed herself and washed her hair as fast as she could. She would love to know why with all the magic these people had at their disposal they didn't have showers.

Jumping out of the water she dried herself off and wrapped her dripping hair up in the towel. She pulled her cloths on hitting her hip against her counter when she was struggling to get her jeans over her still damp legs. She opened the door figuring she'd only been in there for about five minutes. As she hurried back across her room she removed the towel and used her magic to instantly dry her hair. It was one handy trick Az had taught her not long ago.

Cain had vanished; she supposed he had gone to get dressed. Sitting at her vanity she ran a brush through her hair smiling slightly as she separated the top layer and spun it up into a simple knot. Reaching over she picked up the comb Cain had made her and secured her hair. Then she put her glamour in place wishing she didn't need to.

She went back to her wardrobe kicking her things out of the way and snatching up a pair of socks and her black boots. She flopped down on the ground and put them on quickly. Standing up she found Cain walking back into the room adjusting his holster. He was not moving fast enough for her liking.

She moved to him and taking hold of his arm started to tow him to the door. "Hurry up!"

He grunted barely quickening his pace. They finally made it to the library to find Toto pacing up and down in front of one of the large tower windows. He did not appear to be pleased. She braced herself for a scolding as Cain picked out a seat at a nearby table.

Toto's dark face was flashing in anger. She muttered internally, this was not going to go well. "Princess DG! What have I said about these lessons?"

She sighed her shoulders slumping. Humoring him was so not on her favorites list but she didn't want to prolong this more than necessary. She rattled off the speech he had given her word for word in a droning monotone. "These lessons are vital and necessary. If I don't learn to use my magic I could accidentally plunge the Outer Zone back into another fifteen annuals of darkness because I was too stubborn and lazy to commit myself to the safety of my people. I must learn to control my light or may disappoint not only you, but my sister and the Queen."

She finished this feeling depressed. Leave it to Toto to make her feel obligated to attend lessons not because learning could be fun and useful but out of he massive guilt over her past actions. She caught sight of her Tin Man out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to hide from the sparks flying form his eyes. She could see his jaw clenching as she stood waiting for her Tutor to finish with her.

Toto let out a slow breath waving a hand at a pile of books at the table in front of him. Before she could move to it he snapped out another question. "You say that so casually I find it hard to believe you are taking this seriously! What was so important that it made you late?"

She thought this was unfair. This was the first time she'd been late for lessons since they'd started. She had put a considerable amount of effort into memorizing and practicing everything he had taught her. She had committed spells, customs, lineage, and history to heart. The only time she had let up was when she had been clawing through the library looking for answers.

Her mouth opened as her temper flared. Cain beat her to the punch. His voice was so not pleasant. "Stop barking at her Mutt. She was sleeping."

Toto rounded on him. She figured he had either forgotten how dangerous Cain was when he felt she was threatened or believed he was more secure now that he was back in the care of the royal family. "Stay out of this Tin Man! She needs to focus! You know what happened when she didn't know how to use her magic! Would you rather she let loose some other form of evil to darken our land?"

Her mouth shut with a snap and she stepped back as if he'd slapped her. She retreated deep inside herself as the words left his mouth. Thinking these things was drastically different then hearing them thrown at her from someone she considered to be a friend, or at least a mentor. If he thought that who else did?

Cain stood to his full height. She could feel the hot rage radiating off of him. It wasn't his normal cold anger, his eyes were burning as he snarled at the other man. "You talk about her like that again and you'll be a dead dog, old man! You know as well as I do that none of this was her fault! It was the witch's!"

Toto wasn't about to stop. "You're awfully forgiving for a man who was locked in an iron maiden for ten years. Tell me that once you found out who she was you never looked at her and blamed her for it!"

Cain had his gun out and pointing at Toto in less time then it took her to blink. Her bodyguards voice was deadly soft when he started speaking again. "DG, why don't you go visit Glitch? I'll be down after you in a few minutes. The pooch and I need to have a chat."

For the first time she didn't argue with him. She fled from the library trying to compose herself. She really hoped that Glitch was awake because she didn't want to sit out alone in the hallway waiting for Cain to come find her. Assuming he wanted to find her after that. If she let herself think about what Toto had just said she'd probably start to cry.

She pushed the door of the infirmary open and crept down the hall to Glitch's room. She knocked on his door and waited. "Come in."

She stuck her head in the door and met two sparkling eyes. Glitch was propped up against his headboard surrounded by pillows. "Good morning Doll! I didn't expect you here this early." He gave her a full on Glitch smile and she sidled inside.

"Hey, feeling better?" She stood leaning against the wall next to the door with her hands behind her back.

His eyes twinkled happily. "Yes, but I'm afraid the room doesn't have much to occupy me with."

Her lips twitched weakly and she crossed the small room picking up a stool as she went. She sat next to him. "I'll bring you something to read later. Any requests?"

He sighed in a grateful sort of way. "If you could find something on dimensional warps in small scale transitional messaging systems that would be great."

She blinked at him. "Ooook. Is there a pen around here? I think I need to write that one down."

He started laughing so hard tears formed in his eyes. She couldn't find it in her to join him. She searched the room spotting a pad of paper on the other side of the room. Getting up she picked it up finding a pencil beneath it. She quickly wrote down what he had said before she could forget it and ripping the page off stuffed it in her back pocket.

"I'll see if I can find anything Glitch." How long would it be until Toto cleared out? Because she was so not going back into the library unless he was gone.

"Thanks DG! Hey, where's Cain? I though he was your new shadow."

She sat back down on the stool. "He's talking to Toto. He should be here soon."

"What's he talking to Toto about?" Glitch was totally oblivious to her distress at the moment. Thankfully, Cain walked in at that moment sparing her from having to tell him about her morning. She was somewhat surprised his gun was holstered.

Glitch did notice the Tin Man's anger. She figured you didn't need to be a viewer or even observant to know he was on a warpath. The advisors eyes flicked from Cain's stiff form to her averted face his smile melting away. She began to toy with the hem of her shirt. "What's going on?"

Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews I love you guys for them!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I own nothing except your annoyance with me. Apparently some of you feel that the ending of my last chapter was cruel. Sorry, it's just how I keep you lot coming back. I fear it won't be the last time you want to strangle me. Cheers!

Cain's rage had not diminished in the last fifteen minutes. "I'm sorry to say the Mongrels still alive DG. I don't think your parents would want me around if I killed your tutor. Still, he wont be bothering you again."

She winced not wanting to know what had transpired between the two men. She continued to inspect her shirt not looking up, the color was really lovely. She heard Glitch pushing himself into a more upright position. "Why would you want to kill Tutor?"

Cain ignored his question. "Has he ever said anything like that to you before?" His voice had a razor edge to it. Her hand twitched as her suppressed guilt hit her.

"Only the first part I recited back to him." Her voice was barely even a whisper. If both men hadn't been waiting for an answer she doubted they would have caught it. She heard Cain growl and she leaned toward Glitch afraid he might let his temper get the best of him. A moment later she figured moving toward either of them was not a good plan. Long pale fingers wrapped around her hand pulling it away from her shirt.

"What did he say to her?" Cheerful Glitch had been replaced by a new slightly threatening voice. She risked a glance up and saw that same intelligence she had seen the day before hovering behind his toffee eyes.

"He told her it was her fault the witch took over."

Lightning flashed behind the advisors eyes. "I assume you've taken care of him?" This was not the Glitch she had traveled with. Not the Glitch she had spent the last few months with. This was an angry Glitch, one that was now as pissed off as the Tin Man standing next to the door. She was pretty sure this Glitch was just as eager to kill Toto as Cain had been a few minutes ago.

Cain simply nodded taking note of the change in his former traveling companion. He seemed to like what he saw. "And I would assume you'll do the rest?"

Glitch smiled satisfied, relaxing back into the bed. "Yes, and far more discreetly than you ever could."

Cain grunted lip twitching. "We all have our strengths Headcase." He turned his attention back to her. She simply shifted her gaze back down to her lap tugging her hand out of the advisors grasp.

"Kid-"

"At least he doesn't blame Az." It was the only thing she could find to be grateful for. If he had said those things to her sister Azkadilla wouldn't be able to stop crying for a week. That and the fact that it hadn't actually been her sister's fault.

Glitch cut in. "DG, he had no reason to say that to you. You've been working very hard since the eclipse."

She let out a low sound of frustrated anger and stood up her stool squeaking against the tile floor. "Of course he had a reason! He was locked in the dungeon of this place for fifteen years because of me! I'd be angry to! At least I understand why he's pissed! What I can't work out is why you two keep pretending I didn't do anything!"

Glitch sat stunned staring at her. Cain was less standoffish. He grabbed her upper arms and spun her around so she was facing him. She pushed at him but he held on to her backing her to the bed Glitch was resting on. She fell backward onto it, bumping the pale mans long legs, Cain's grip keeping her upright. He leaned down so she could see nothing but his face.

His voice was level when he started talking to her all traces of anger gone. "DG you were a child that was tricked by an ancient sorceress. You can't possibly believe that any of this was your fault."

Her silence told him everything. She couldn't tell what he was thinking; his walls had gone back up. All she knew was that he was putting pieces together in that silent way he had. She didn't last long under his stare. Words started to tumble out of her mouth at amazing speed.

"I let go of Az! That's why the witch got out! It's why Glitch lost his brain and my parents were separated! Then mother used her magic to bring me back instead of stopping the witch and it didn't even work right!" She knew it would only be a matter of time until she lost it. The sleep she'd gotten last night had only given her enough energy to start thinking again.

"Everything after that was preventable! She should have just let me die! She could have killed the witch years ago and you would still have Adora! You would have gotten to watch Jeb grow up, not been locked in that suit! Do you know how many people could have been saved if it weren't for me?"

She expected Cain to let her go after that. She had no pity for herself and suddenly felt to weary to even start crying. She wanted to go curl up in a corner so neither of them could see her for a while. Instead Cain's grip on her arms tightened his eyes softened with understanding.

"Do you know how many people you saved when you ran into this place after your sister at the eclipse?"

"Nice try Cain. I wasn't about to run off after I found out what was wrong with her."

Glitch's soft voice broke in. "You didn't know that when you helped me escape the Eastern Guild Doll. Or when you let the gun slinger out."

She fidgeted. She didn't see how this applied to their current conversation. "Neither of you would have been stuck that way-"

"If it hadn't been for the witch." Cain finished firmly.

She didn't believe him or Glitch. It was easier to believe the anger and coldness in her teacher's words than the assurance of her friends. Cain's fingers loosened their hold as he sighed. "Kid, have either of us ever lied to you?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line. He was going to go the distance with this one. A glance at Glitch told her he was game too. She felt herself starting to give them ground. "No Cain." Her reply was slightly exasperated.

His lip twitched knowing he had her. "Good, so you admit that you're not to blame?"

"I never said-"

"I think that by agreeing with the Tin Man about our amazing and honest friendship you have given up all responsibility over the last fifteen annuals."

She rolled her eyes. "Your new brain's going to give me a migraine isn't it?"

"Undoubtedly. But don't worry I intend to use my powers for good."

She started to giggle the tension draining from her. Cain smiled at her standing back up his thumb running along her arm as he went. She felt the tight knot in her stomach vanish. It had been replaced by a swarm of butterflies. What was that about? There was no way she was feeling what she though she was. That was such a bad idea, in every way.

While she was trying to beat these thoughts into submission a knock sounded on the door. Glitch beamed at the door as if all his dreams were coming true. "I was never this popular before." He said to her with a jaunty wink. "Come in and join the party!"

To her surprise it was Az that shyly opened the door. She gave them all a small smile and walked fully into the room. She had several books in her arms and stood somewhat awkwardly shifting her weight as they watched her. She took pity on her sister before either of her friends did. "Whatcha got Az?"

She could have sworn a slight blush suffused her sister's cheeks. "I though Ambrose might be bored. I brought him something to read."

Glitch rubbed his hands together in glee. "Thanks Azka-Dee! I thought I might perish of boredom soon! Get out of your sister's way Doll, she obviously loves me more than you."

She snickered rising from the bed. Oh yeah, Az was without a doubt blushing now. Cain had pulled his fedora down to hide the amusement in his eyes from the older princess. She was on the verge of teasing when the Alchemist burst through the door. She jumped light flaring as Cain's hand flew to his holster.

The old man gave them a withering look. "What did I say about the number of visitors? Only two at a time! Out!"

Az set the books on the bed and turned intending to leave but seeing the disappointment in Glitch's eyes she grabbed Cain and headed to the door. "Sorry! We forgot. See ya later Glitch, have fun with your books. Maybe Az knows something about-" She retrieved the slip of paper from her back pocket. "-dimensional warps and transitional messaging systems." She shook her head as she walked out the door.

They made it out into the hall before she lost the fight and started to giggle. Cain shook his head at her as they walked back toward her room. She figured it was the safest place to be and Cain wasn't objecting. That and she figured her lesson was cancelled and she wanted to get her book.

Cain entered the room first and she followed close behind. She sighed when she saw the mess on her floor. She forgot all about the jean-induced explosion in the excitement. Grumbling she started to gather up her things setting them back in her trunk. Cain crouched down next to her scooping up an open photo album with curiosity.

He sat down on the floor next to her as she finished gathering up her things. He turned the album over in his hand eyebrows together. "It's a photo album Cain, it's not going to bite you."

He flipped it to the first page and she fought down her slight embarrassment. He had managed to grab her favorite collection of pictures but a few of them were bound to be a source of teasing. "How are these made?"

She paused in her clean up. She forgot they didn't have cameras here. Tossing the last pair of sneakers in the trunk she sat and dug around before emerging with a battered Polaroid camera and a few double A batteries. "It kinda works like those viewing disks except it doesn't operate on magic." She was pleased she could explain this to him. She'd taken a few photography classes her first year of college as part of the art program.

She sat down in front of him with the camera and flipping open the small panel at the bottom popped them into place. "You use a camera, one of these-" She flipped the panel back in place and turned the switch on so it could warm up. It was really old and temperamental. "-this one's pretty old but it makes the images instantly. The nicer cameras photographers' use have film that has to be processed in chemicals. The film has silver particles in it that react to light. The camera has a small door inside of it that raises when you push the shutter button." She was indicating these things as she went. Cain was listening with rapt attention.

"When you take the picture the door lets in light for a set amount of time. Usually only a fraction of a second although you can change that depending on what kind of image you want to make. The silver reacts to the light exposure and then the door shuts and the film is advanced to the next frame. It captures the scene the way a painter does but with way more accuracy. Once the roll of film has all been exposed you either have to take it somewhere to be processed or process it yourself."

"And none of this works with magic?" He sounded dubious.

"Nope, although I'd need a book to tell you the exact chemical components you need to process the image. It's really complicated and the mixtures are toxic. But I can show you the fast version with this. Smile Tin Man!"

Lifting the camera to her face she snapped a picture of him. She giggled at his expression. He had his eyebrow raised as if was waiting for her to tell him this was all a big joke at his expense. The camera made a whirring noise in her hand and the edge of the film popped out of the front. She tugged it out and shook it waiting for the image to form.

He was gazing at her unimpressed with this whole process. She grinned at him then handed him the now clear photograph. He took the film from her hand and brought it closer to his face. He snorted and a pleased smile formed on his face. "I'll be damned."

She grinned. "Glad you like it. Anyway, most people have photo albums on the Otherside. They take pictures of all kinds of things. Kids, parties, friends, trips, its just a way to help remember stuff I guess."

He handed the picture back to her and returned his attention to the images in front of him. "Are these all of you growing up?"

"Mostly, some are of Momster and Popsicle. And the farm and my school."

He paged through the album carefully and she rested her back on the wardrobe answering his questions and telling him humorous stories about her childhood home. Somewhere around the middle he moved so he was sitting against the wardrobe next to her and his lips and quirked up in a permanent half smile.

She was having a good time until he flipped to the last page and a badly crumpled picture fell out onto his lap. He held it up and she groaned wondering how it had gotten stuck inside, she thought she'd thrown that one out.

In the image she was sitting sideways on her motorcycle laughing happily as Elmer Gulch's arm wrapped possessively around her waist and his chin rested on her head. He had a smug smile on his lips and his eyes were sparkling with satisfaction. Cain turned to her a question in his blue eyes.

Author Note: Ok so you caught me! One of my majors is photography! I had to get a camera in one of my fics somewhere. Leave me a review, their like snapshots into your thoughts.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing! I guess I shouldn't be excited about that…

Shit. Plan A- divert his attention. "That would be my motorcycle. I bought it when I turned nineteen with my work money. To bad the travel storm trashed it, they're wicked fast and fun to ride. You'd like it."

Cain gave her the 'don't even try it' look. "Not a chance Princess."

"You don't think so? I would have pegged you as a speed daemon."

His jaw twitched.

Plan B- pretend the photo does not exist. She gave him a false smile closing the album and turning around put it back in her trunk. She ignored the battered picture in his hand closing the wardrobe doors and brushing off her pants. She stretched as she headed to the chair her book was resting on scooping it up.

"DG, don't make me ask again. I know there's a story here and we've been having such a nice chat." The Tin Man's voice had a jovial ring to it as he hauled himself up. She felt the hair at the back of her neck stand on end. This was so not good.

"Sorry Cain, I'm all out of stories today. Give me some time, I could have one for you by tomorrow." She flipped the book open and waved a hand at her fireplace lighting it.

She felt Cain at her back. He was so close she could feel his body heat against her skin. It took all her willpower to pretend he wasn't there. His arm came around her taking the book out of her hands before she could react. "Hey! Give it back!"

He held the book out of her reach as she lunged upward at it. It wasn't fair that she was short when the rest of her family was so tall! She jumped up at the book twice more before he caught her around the waist with the hand holding the photo. Pressed firmly against him she pouted ignoring his smirk and the way her body wanted to wrap itself around him.

She started to whine. "Come on Cain! It took me forever to sneak that book out! At least let me diagnose myself before you steal it back!"

"Whose in the picture DG?" She had piqued his interest to astronomical levels. His eyes were dancing with mirth and something else. If she didn't know better she could have sworn it was jealousy. But that was ridiculous Cain had no reason to be jealous of anybody, especially anybody that had been involved with her.

"It's nobody. Now give me back my book!"

"Nope." He shook the book in a mocking fashion just out of her reach.

Plan C- stomp him. She used the heel of her boot to smash his big toe with enough force to make him flinch. "Ow!" He dropped his arm in surprise and she grabbed the book twisting it and her body away from him. She got away but hit the ground with a thud.

"Ooff!" That freaking smarted!

"That hurt!" Cain growled at her.

"Suck it up Tin Man! That's what happens when you steal my stuff!" The last few sentences came out as a wheeze. The air had been forced out of her lungs when she smashed into the carpet.

Cain eyed her as she lay on the ground protectively cradling the old green book in her arms. She glared up at him daring him to try something. He glanced back down at the image then back up at her. She had a badly timed flashback to eight months before and turned over to pick herself up. It didn't really matter anymore anyway. She'd made her choice and knew it had been the right one.

On her knees she met Cain's now suspicious eyes. "Can I have the photo back Cain?" Her voice was even and she thought the request sounded more than reasonable. She held out one of her hands.

He stood gazing down at her for a long minute before he held it out to her with two fingers. Taking it she crumpled it back up in a ball. "Thank you." Then she tossed it in the fire standing up. Pity she killed it too late. How Elmer Gulch managed to cause her trouble in the Outer Zone was beyond her.

Not looking at Cain she went to the chair they had slept in last night, kicked the blanket to the side and sat down. She opened the book and started reading, ignoring Cain completely. He may have had the classic love story when he was courting Adora, she didn't know, but her story had been less than a fairytale. In fact, at the end it had been more like a dark comedy.

She heard Cain sit in the other chair as she tried to focus on the words scrawled across the page. "Kid do you want to talk about-"

"I'm not a kid and no." There was no way in hell she talking to Cain about Gulch. For starters telling Momster what had happened had been bad enough. Talk about bonding time. Secondly she though she had shared enough with Cain in the last day and a half. Thirdly if she did tell Cain he'd probably go to the Otherside and kill the cop. She pondered that for a second. Maybe she should… No that was wrong… Sorta.

She pushed all thoughts of her past out of her mind and began to read in earnest. The first fifteen pages proved to be both disgusting and useless. At some point Cain left and returned thirty minutes later with sandwiches and some reading material of his own. She perked up snatching one with a thank you before burying her nose back in the book.

As the first sun began to sink behind the horizon she hit the jackpot. Elated she read the full five pages on life giving. Then she reread it. Then to be sure she read it again. She closed her eyes in dismay. This was really bad. She dog eared the page and set the book down in her lap.

Without moving his eyes form his own book Cain asked. "Find anything?"

"Yeah." She was staring blankly at the wall. She was going to have to leave soon if she wanted to fix this.

Cain's blue eyes had come up to regard her. She turned to stare at him not wanting to believe what she'd just learned. But it fit what she was feeling. She could feel the blood draining from her face as the implications sank in.

"Princess?" Cain was standing up as she bolted out of her chair. She raced to her wardrobe and fished out the old key she'd stolen from Ahamo not two days ago.

"I need to go find my parents. Right now." The tone of her voice left no room for argument. She was in high alert mode. She figured she could panic after all the plans had been made, until then she needed to stay as calm as possible.

"What's the-" Cain did not like being left in the dark.

"No time, I'll tell you when we find them!" She headed for the door at a swift walk. Her parents would be in her mother's office now. No doubt having another meeting, she hoped it wasn't over anything important because she was going to kick everyone out.

Cain kept pace with her his eyes flicking between worry and annoyance. She didn't much care what he was thinking at the moment. She also didn't care that she had to shove the two guards blocking the doors to her mother's office out of the way with her magic when they refused to let her pass. They slid to opposite sides of the hall and Cain made an odd choking noise in the back of his throat. Well, she tried to be polite.

She knocked briskly on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer. Her parents were sitting at a large rectangular table in the middle of a political meeting with a pair of viewers. Ahamo was obviously startled by her abrupt appearance and her mother frowned delicately at her and her bodyguard.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to you." She kept her voice as bland as possible shoving her emotions down. She did not want to upset her parent's guests.

"Can it wait my Angel? We are a bit busy." Her mother didn't sound angry but one of the viewers shifted uncomfortably. That was all she needed to work that out.

"No it can't. This is important." Her father simply nodded. Rising to his feet he courteously showed the viewers to the door with his promise that they would continue the meeting as soon as possible. He shut the door behind them and she let her light flare casting a silencing spell around the room. This discussion was not going beyond these walls.

Her mother was surprised by the magic show. The Queen may not have much power left but she recognized the spell that had just been placed around the room. "DG what's the matter?"

She moved in front of her mother and opening the book to the proper page nearly slamming it down in front of her. Now that the viewers were gone she let her temper loose. She tossed the key down next to it. "Are you completely insane! What the hell were you thinking!"

Lavender eyes widened in shock at both the rage in her voice and her language. "DG! That is no way to speak to your mother!" Ahamo, usually soft spoken, snapped at her.

She rounded on him. "Stay out of this! You don't know what she did!"

Her mother had leaned down to read the passage as she and her father squared off. They had gotten along very well over the last few months. He was therefore unprepared to see her in fighting mode. Cain on the other hand was less than impressed with her display. He shook his head and leaned against the wall arms crossed.

Ahamo had barely opened his mouth when her mother shut the book with a snap behind her. Her head whipped around to find a very scared looking ruler. "How long have the dreams been coming DG?"

"Over a month now." Some of her anger melted at the sight of her mother's face. "But I've been taking Az's dreams for the last seven weeks."

Her mother put a hand to her face. Ahamo had given up looking for answers from the two of them and turned his attention to her Tin Man. Cain shrugged watching her.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Her mother's soft question pushed her over the edge she had been balancing on for the last month.

"Why didn't _I_ tell _you_? Gee I don't know! Maybe because I thought I was going crazy! Maybe because you tend to get a little skimpy with details when it comes to my past! Maybe because I can't find it in myself to trust you after you sent me to live on the Otherside with robot foster parents who were forbidden to tell me who I was! Pick one and we can go from there!"

Ahamo was taken aback by her outburst. "Spitfire that's hardly fair. We did that to protect you."

She snarled at him. "By what? Lying to me? Leaving me unprepared to face the witch? Or splitting my soul into several pieces?"

Ahamo had lost track of the conversation. So had Cain. Her mother stood up slowly. "My Angel that was not supposed to happen."

"No really?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "What did you think was going to happen when I came back and my magic started to grow and replace what you gave me? No wonder I can't sleep! I'm amazed I even know who I am!"

"Soul splitting rarely occurs DG. I thought you were unaffected."

"Your the Queen of the O.Z. mother! Your magic is directly linked to the realm. You can't bring someone back safely unless you have complete control. I've only been using my magic for a few months and know that."

"What is she talking about Love?" Ahamo had moved toward them but she shied away.

Her mother averted her face from her and to her husband begging for understanding. "When I brought her back I gave her my magic. You know that. I panicked when I saw her. I didn't know what else to do." Ahamo pulled the Queen into his arms and looked to her for an answer.

She started pacing feeling trapped and helpless. Drawing on her lessons and reading she told her father and the silent Tin Man what had happened. "She had already divided her magic to help protect the Outer Zone during her coronation. When she brought me back the magic thought I was part of her until she sent me away. She never let me leave her side until she sent me into the travel storm. When I came back and my magic started to push hers out the O.Z. thought I was attacking the Queen of the realm."

Cain stood straight. "What does this have to do with your dreams and soul splitting?"

"The O.Z. isn't conscious Mister Cain but it does protect the Gale line as we protect it." Her mother was sitting straight in her chair. "It felt DG die when she was a child and turned its attention to Azkadilla as the last remaining heir. As she said, it thought she was me until her magic grew and therefore wasn't threatened. Now it thinks she is some kind of disease feeding off her sister. It doesn't recognize her as a member of our household because she isn't all here. It's trying to protect the next queen from harm."

"Azkadilla is the next queen then?" Ahamo didn't sound all that surprised.

Her mother tilted her head as if listening to something. "Yes, it has made its choice."

"The dreams are the O.Z.'s defense. It's probably making them worse for Az because it wants to get to me. As far as the soul splitting goes… I'm not all that clear."

Her mother pushed away from the table and went to stand next to the window. "When I brought DG back I lost focus. I must not have completed the spell properly. When her magic started to respond to her it broke through the cracks in the spell and part of her slipped out. It most likely fled to the places she has considered home."

She heaved a sigh yanking a chair out from the table. "How am I supposed to find them? And how long do I have until they shimmer out like the book said they would? I can't live like this and from what I read I don't think the rest of me is going to stay in unless we can find the stray pieces."

"You don't have long My Angel. You'll have to leave in the morning."

Author Note: Oh dear, I never give this girl a break do I? Don't worry she's tough and has a hot Tin Man. Leave me one.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer:

"Well that's just awesome!" She snapped at her empty room. "The places I considered home? I'm going to have to go back to freaking Kansas!" She was fuming and would admit it. Chucking cloths in an old pack she was finding it hard to forgive her mother for this one.

After the talk with her parents it had been decided that it would be more efficient to start looking for herself on the Otherside first. It would be less likely for the people of the realm to notice she was gone if they made it a fast trip. Yes they. Apparently Cain was going to come to. He had insisted on it actually and her parents had whole heartily agreed, she had glared but said nothing.

At least her Roborents made frequent trips back and forth between the O.Z. and Earth. At first it had been to get her things but the royal couple thought it might be a good idea to have a safe spot on the Otherside just in case anything unfortunate happened while they were stabilizing the realm. At least they would have a place to stay.

Finished stuffing cloths in her bag she tossed it and a jacket on her vanity chair. She was about to turn when her eyes landed on the box Cain had made her. She couldn't bring herself to leave it behind. What if someone missed it before they destroyed the tower? She placed it carefully in the pack and closed it.

"Are you packed Kid? We have to leave for Milltown at first light." Cain walked into her room without preamble. He had taken on his usual no nonsense traveling persona. It actually soothed her nerves despite the fact that whenever he acted like this they were running for their lives. He set his own pack, duster and hat next to her stuff and turned to regard her.

"Yeah I'm ready to go." She said miserably.

"Don't sound so excited DG." His eyes were laughing at her.

"Oh shut up. I'm not down with going to the Otherside. I spent most of my life trying to get away from Kansas and now I have to back… So not cool."

He sighed. "You don't have much choice. Unless you'd rather fade out of existence?"

She walked to her bed sitting on the edge of it exhausted. "No, I don't want to fade away. I'm just tired and grumpy. Sorry."

Cain sat next to her pushing her until she was fully on the bed. "I think I'd be tired and grumpy if I hadn't slept in a month too DG. Try to sleep, I'll be next door."

He wasn't staying? There was no way she would sleep if he wasn't there. "You're leaving?"

He glanced at her, his walls up. "I didn't seem to help much last night Princess. I didn't think you'd want me with you again."

"Cain that was the most I've slept in two weeks all together." Her voice had a hint of pleading in it. "Please stay?"

His eyes flickered but he nodded. "Move over then."

She scrambled to the other side of the bed afraid he was going to change his mind. He got up and her heart sank when he went to the door but he just locked it before turning off the lamps. He came back to the bed and removed his boots and holster before lying down next to her. His arm snaked gently around her waist and she let herself spoon against him telling herself this was about sleeping and nothing else.

She felt herself relax slowly. His steady breathing at her back sent her to that twilight state between wakefulness and sleeping. As she drifted off she wondered what it was about Cain that always made her feel so safe. Thinking back she'd always felt that way, even when he wasn't particularly interested in helping her. When Raw had first jumped out at her in the Papay Fields she had instinctively moved to him instead of Glitch, and she liked Glitch a lot more than him at the time.

Then again she had connected with him in a different way than her other friends in the O.Z. And for some reason even after they had stopped the witch he had still wanted to stay with her. Deep down she had expected him to leave after the battle. He had his own life and most of the time they had traveled together she felt more like a nuisance to him than anything else. Right up until they were about to break into the tower. When he refused to shake her hand something between them had shifted for good, although what that something was she wasn't entirely sure. Still she had never been as happy as when he promised to come back.

She fell asleep more easily than she had the previous night. Having a game plan made her feel better even if she knew that what was wrong with her was potentially fatal. But whatever, she'd done fatal before. Her dreams came to haunt her again and she felt herself begin to shiver as the cold from the Ice Palace seeped into her. She woke with a start pressing back into Cain's body heat. He mumbled something in his sleep tightening his grip on her.

She lay still not wanting to wake him. She figured he only had another thirty minutes at any rate. Her body felt so much better after two nights of sleep. She could kiss Cain. Her waking mind stuttered to a halt. No, no, no. Seriously bad thoughts that would lead to other bad thoughts, that would eventually lead to her doing something completely stupid. This was Cain, her friend and protector. What was wrong with her?

It wasn't like she had a chance at any rate. She yawned gazing down at the arm wrapped around her in a tired sort of way. After all he was still wearing his wedding ring… She narrowed her eyes in the predawn light. The silver band was not on his finger and judging by color of the skin where it had been, it had absent for some time. How in Ozma's name had she missed that? She could not have been that tired. Cain chose that moment to wake up.

His voice was thick with sleep and he shook her softly. "Time to wake up Princess."

She stretched out pretending he had woken her and mumbled an affirmative into her pillow. He grunted sitting up and squeezing her arm as he got off the bed. "Get up Kid. You need to say your goodbyes before we leave."

She rolled over and crawled off the bed snatching a set of cloths out of the wardrobe and heading to the bathroom. She hated goodbyes they were so depressing. She took a quick bath and got dressed. At least she would get to see Momster and Popsicle tonight. That was always a treat. Cain was waiting for her when she came out. She walked to her vanity and ran a brush through her hair before adopting the same hairstyle she had the day before. She could have sworn Cain smiled when she put the comb in her hair but when she turned to grab her pack his face was impassive.

She threw on her jacket and headed out. They were going to meet everyone in Glitch's recovery room. That way he wouldn't miss them. They were the first one's to arrive and she had fun scaring the living daylights out of a sleeping Glitch. When they walked in he was asleep propped up among his pillows with a book open on his chest. She turned to Cain winking and holding a finger to her lips. He shook his head setting his pack down.

She crept close to Glitch, just out of his reach, she'd seen what he could do and wasn't interested in getting smacked down. She let her magic out and the book started to slowly hover away from his body. The pale hand that had been resting on it slid off and landed on his hip, he twitched slightly. Positioning the book in front of his face she clapped her hands together and the book slammed shut mimicking her actions with a loud snap.

Glitch jumped awake gangly arms flailing. She began to laugh doubling over in glee. Cain snorted but made no move to protect her when a barrage of pillows suddenly assaulted her. "Doll that was plain cruel!"

She held up her arms in defense still laughing. "Yeah but it was funny! You should have seen your face!"

Her parents and Az walked in as the last of Glitch's ammunition hit the side of her head. They looked at the pillow strewn floor in confusion and she snickered at the advisor. He crossed his arms eyes alight with mirth saying nothing.

"Spitfire you do seem to find trouble wherever you go." Ahamo's voice was laced with exhaustion. It didn't look like either of her parents had slept the night before. She could sympathize with them. Az was studying the mess with confusion as if she didn't understand the point of it. Her sister needed to learn to have some fun. Judging from the way Glitch's gaze was slipping over her she figured she'd learn as soon as he was out of bed.

Her mother walked over and embraced her. "Be safe my Sweet. I'm sorry this happened."

She patted the woman's back. "It's ok we'll fix it."

Her father was quick to follow suite and she was left facing Az. Her sister's dark eyes were a little lost. She pulled her into a hug and whispered to her. "No worries Az. I'll be back as soon as I can, promise." She lowered her voice even further until she was sure only her sister could hear her. "Until then I think Glitch will be more than happy to keep you company."

Pulling back she saw that Az's eyes had widened. She grinned and gathering the fallen pillows plopped them on the bed next to her friend. She leaned over and hugged him tightly. "See ya soon Glitch. You'd best be out of bed by the time I get back."

With that she stepped back toward the door. Cain grabbed Glitch's hand and shook it firmly and tilted his hat at her family. "I'll keep her safe."

Her father smiled wanly. "You've done an excellent job so far Mister Cain. We have no reason to doubt your abilities. Be safe on your journey."

She gave one last wave to the room in general and went out. Cain grabbed his pack and they headed silently to the stables. Entering the large semi circular area Cain retrieved the two horses he had selected the day before and saddled them quickly, securing their packs behind the saddles.

She mounted the mare he had chosen for her hoping she was as docile as he promised. She was a beautiful animal, chestnut brown with a white sock on her front leg. Cain's horse was a darker brown that had a smattering of white spots along its flanks. Both horses trotted out of the stables obediently and they were on their way.

While she may not have been the best rider in the world she could hold her own on a well-trained animal. Cain was without a doubt and excellent rider. He was completely at home in the saddle and moved like he was an extension of the horse he rode. He made her feel ungainly. It didn't help that as soon as they made it to the woods he guided them in.

"Cain what are we doing?" She liked the road. It was flat and easy to maneuver on.

"Were staying under cover. I don't trust the roads, there are too many people that might want to get their hands on you." His voice made it clear that this was not up for discussion. She sighed glancing up at his back. She understood his reasoning but this was going to be a long day.

She was right about that. They didn't make it to Milltown until well past sunset and she was sore all over. At least her horse was nice to her and was rather skilled at picking her way through the underbrush. What she wanted to know was how Cain managed to emerge from the endless sameness that was the forest directly in front of Milltown. A person shouldn't be able to do that.

He dismounted his horse easily as she toppled off hers with a groan. "I don't want to ride anymore ever."

He snorted at her grabbing her horse's reins and leading them toward the center of town keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. She limped after him thinking that a massage wouldn't go wrong at this point. They were greeted ten feet inside the city limits by the floating major.

"Welcome to Milltown Princess. We are honored by your visit but what brings you here?"

"Hello Father Time. I need to talk to Momster and Popsicle. It's an emergency."

He hovered nervously but motioned for them to follow him. Another robot, a young woman with yellow hair walked out of a nearby doorway and took the horses from Cain after he removed their packs. They were lead to nearby house and Father Time gave her an odd bow before departing. "Thank you!" She called out as he floated away.

Turning she knocked on the door Cain standing at her shoulder his eyes traveling up and down the small road that cut the town square in two. A few moments later she heard Popsicles voice call out before the door was opened. He stood staring at her blankly for a moment before a huge grin spread over his face and he caught her up in a hug.

"Peanut! What are you doing here?" He grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the small wooden house Cain following closely behind and securing the door.

"Emily! Guess whose here!" Her foster mother came around a corner and smiled happily when she saw her.

"DG! What a nice surprise. Come in and get comfortable, you to Mister Cain."

This was nice and all but they had to leave, like now. "Sorry we can't. We need to get to the Otherside and figured it would be smarter if you two came with us. So if your not busy do you think you could be ready to go, ummm, five minutes ago?"

Her Roboparents stared at her. "I know short notice, but this is way up there on the DG freak out meter. I need to call a travel storm before anyone knows I'm here. Can you come or not?"

Emily gave her a very serious look. "How far up on the scale Pumpkin?"

"An eleven, fatality imminent." Thank god Momster understood the system. "Now we gotta go. I swear I'll explain when we get to the farm house."

Her foster parents went into an efficient packing frenzy no more questions asked. Cain gave her the oddest look she'd ever received from him but she just shrugged. Explaining the DG freak out meter would take to long. Her Roborents were ready in five minutes. They all walked out the door and she headed to the edge of the small town as Popsicle told Father Time that they were going to visit the Otherside for a few days. The old robot simply bowed his head to her.

She stood at the edge of the small clearing surrounding the village. She hated travel storms. "Everyone ready?"

Hearing no dissent in the ranks she called on her light and her magic flared out around her. The wind began to pick up as a twister slowly began to form in the center of the clearing. Travel storms took a lot of magic to summon and even more focus to get them to work properly. Splitting her focus between forming the tornado and their destination was not easy.

Soon the twister was raging before them. Her hands continued to pulse as she held it in place. It wanted to spin away but that was so out of the question. She wasn't going to let it destroy Milltown again. Fighting back her own semi-irrational fear of the storm she turned her head and jerked it toward the doorway to the Otherside not sure her companions would be able to hear her.

"Lets go!" She shouted out but her voice was blown away in the wind. She spun back around and before she could loose her nerve she held her breath and leaped into the storm. She refused to open her eyes until she felt herself hit the ground.

The wind continued swirl powerfully around her as three lightning bolts hit the field near her. Her parents stood unfazed at the edge of the storm and Cain was in a crouch holding his hat to his head. Through the dust and grass that had been picked up she could see her childhood home several hundred yards away. She let her spell go and the wind died down almost at once. She sat down her magic having drained away her energy.

Cain was behind her almost immediately helping her to her feet. "You alright Princess?"

Her lip twitched as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah there's no place like home."

Author Note: Don't you just have to know what kind of trouble these two can get into in Kansas? Oh this is going to be fun… Leave me a review!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: It's true that I own nothing. Ask anybody that knows me.

They walked across the field under the stars. She was very glad she was wearing a jacket because fall had arrived in Kansas while she had been gone. It was a bit nippy to say the least. She could hear the thin layer frost crack under foot as they drew closer to her old home. Even in the dark she could see the window to her room and smiled slightly as a sense of nostalgia washed over her.

They walked up the porch and to the darkened house. Popsicle pulled the house key out of his overall pockets and unlocked the door. Cain politely pushed passed him entering the house with his gun drawn. Momster smiled slightly at him saying nothing. He motioned them inside a few minutes later after he had swept the entire place. She hauled herself inside dropping her pack next to the couch as she stretch out on it.

She snuggled against the old upholstery lovingly. "I missed you couch and your wonderful plumpness. Only you can make riding a horse all day better."

She heard Cain laughing at her crooning tone. He sat down in one of the vacant chairs stretching his legs out as he removed his hat. Momster had gone into the kitchen, most likely to make tea; it was her solution to everything. And Popsicle had settled himself on the old loveseat.

She was so right about the tea. Her Robomom placed a tray with large steaming mugs on their coffee table before placing her hands on her hips and glaring down at her. "Is that anyway to act in front of a guest DG?"

She opened one eye in confusion. "Huh?"

"For heavens sake DG. I taught you better than that, sit up straight so we can have a civilized conversation. I don't think Mister Cain wants to see you sprawled across the couch like a sun drunk cat."

She sighed but sat up with a wince. Old habits die hard and she wasn't about to upset Momster unless she had to. The woman had raised her after all. Plus the whole knowing all the embarrassing stuff about her past. The woman had dirt on her that she would rather stay between the two of them.

She grumbled but saw Cain's eyes twinkling at her amazing compliance. She bet he wished she'd listen to him half as well, he could keep wishing. She tilted her head at him suddenly. "We need to get you different cloths Cain." She held up her own arm. "And I need to change before we go anywhere."

"Well, best wait until morning to do anything. Maybe you should tell us what has you in such a fit Peanut." Popsicle had his dreamers eyes set on her waiting for a story. He always did like the ones she told him, to bad this one kinda sucked. She told them anyway.

She felt bad when Popsicles face fell and Momster sat down next to him with the scared mom face. She wanted to make them feel better. "Hey don't worry. We found the emerald how hard can it be to find parts of me?"

They were skeptical about this statement. "Peanut we had a problem finding the whole you most of the time."

Cain grinned at this eyes going distant as if he were remembering something. "Yes, but now its me finding me so that has to make it easier… I think." Her forehead crinkled. She was getting tired again and wasn't sure her logic was functioning properly.

Momster saw her dilemma and stood up shooing her off the couch. "Both of you have been riding all day. Off to bed with you. DG make sure to get the air mattress out for your Tin Man."

She yelped as her Robomom shoved her up the stairs with her pack toward her room. "Alright! Geez! I remember where I slept for fifteen years woman!"

She heard Popsicle chuckling and Cain walking up the stairs behind her. If they hadn't been so old and prone to squeaking she doubted she would have heard him following her at all. On the way up she stopped at the hall closet and reaching up tugged the box containing the air mattress off the top shelf. She grunted when the corner hit her head but pressed it against the doorway in order to snatch a set of sheets and an old comforter. She plopped them on top of the box.

She wrapped her arms around the cumbersome pile and continued up the stairs. It wasn't heavy just big. Cain watched this process without comment until she started heading back up the stairs. "Do you need help?"

"Nope, believe it or not I often carried things before I learned I was a princess."

Cain sighed in exasperation. She assumed she had somehow damaged his gentlemen instinct in some way. Finally reaching her room she dropped the box tossing the blankets on her ironing board. She tossed her pack next to her bed then knelt down to open the box. She pulled the flat plastic mattress from the box and spread it out over a clear space on her floor.

"What is that?" Cain was eyeing the mattress as if he would have to shoot it should it try anything.

"An air mattress. It's like a cross between a cot and a sleeping bag." She hooked up the pump plugging it into the wall and Cain took a slight step back when it started whirring. She sat on the floor watching it blow up finding it hard to meet his eyes at the moment. "I'd rather you sleep with me if you want but I figured it would cause fewer questions if I set it up."

Cain said nothing to that but she could feel his eyes on her. She waited for the mattress to finish filling with air then unhooked the pump. She stood and put on the sheets and blanket. Bending down she fished a pair of pajama shorts and a clean tank top out of her bag and trotted down the stairs to her bathroom.

Closing the door she leaned against it feeling like an idiot. What a stupid thing to say. Could she sound more needy? She tugged off her traveling cloths and got into her sleepwear. Maybe she should just camp out in here, it would cause her less embarrassment.

She finally left figuring he would come after her thinking she'd been kidnapped if she stayed in the bathroom any longer. She walked hesitantly back up to her room shutting and locking the door behind her. She paused for a second after the lock clicked as she processed the fact that it was the first time the lock had ever been used. Her fingers twitched as she went up the last few steps into her room.

Cain was already lying on her bed his ice blue eyes closed. His gun was sitting on her nightstand within easy reach. She took a moment to imagine what kinds of perilous creatures might attack them in Kansas. A snow white killer rabbit came to mind and she fought down a giggle. She padded barefoot across the room and sat on the edge of her bed.

Cain's arm shot out and yanked her against him on the small bed. She let out a soft gasp as he laughed quietly in her ear. "Not funny Cain!" She whispered at him.

"Turn over for a second DG." His voice was soft and very convincing. She turned over so she was facing him not knowing what to expect. The arm that had her trapped moved from her waist to her hip and began to rub her gently. She groaned in pleasure as he started to rub away the soreness of their daylong ride.

She pressed closer to him burying her face in his neck as his hand moved down her leg. That felt _so_ good. And from the small sighs of contentment that were escaping her she was pretty sure Cain knew that. He stopped rubbing her leg long enough to sling it over his hip so he could reach farther down her calf.

She let out a long breath torn between relaxing and exploding at the sensations he was causing to shoot through her body. "Feel better Princess?"

She nodded her head against his neck not trusting herself to speak. Eventually his hand lost its firm movements turning into a slow caress against her exposed skin. She shuddered and pressed herself against him before she could think when his hand slid up to the small of her back.

His calloused hand stilled splayed out across her back. She froze when recognition of what she had done hit her. Now she had no idea what to do to diffuse this situation. Her body began to quiver despite her best efforts to control it and Cain was still holding her against him silently. His hand began its accent up her body after a long moment finding its way to her neck.

His thumb tickled behind her ear for a moment before he gently titled her head up so he could see her face. She was trying to tell her body that it still needed to breath but was not getting much of a response when his light blue eyes locked on hers. "Is this what you want Sweetheart?"

She blinked at him in total shock. That was not the reaction she was expecting at all. There was no way in hell that Wyatt Cain, self proclaimed tin hearted bastard, was holding her pressed firmly against him in her bed and asking her what she thought he was asking her. She was positive she needed clarification on this subject or she was going to make an ass out of herself. She licked her lips. "I don't think I understand the question."

His eyes flickered with hot amusement his hand finding its way back to her thigh. Holding it he pressed her firmly to him as he pushed his hips into her. Her back arched as her fingers wrapped around his upper arm. Yes, this was undeniably what she wanted. No point in denying that if he wanted this as much as she did. Still, she had a feeling that they would need to have a chat before that could happen. He saw her hesitance and loosened his hold on her although his fingers continued to dance over her skin. That was not what she had wanted.

"Cain…" She pressed her body against him eyes still on his. This was going to be uncomfortable to talk about. "I've just… never actually done this before." She could feel her face flush at this confession. He stopped moving entirely at that, eyes searching her face.

He let out a gentle breath as his hand caressed her face. His eyes had softened and he was gazing at her in way that made her feel a lot less stupid. He leaned in and captured her lips his thumb running across her jaw line as he claimed her mouth tenderly. He took his time and she moved her hand to the back of his neck amazed with his taste and the sweetness of the kiss. She vaguely wondered if a kiss could actually make her melt.

When he leaned away his face was resting on the pillow close to hers. He was running his hand through her hair as she watched him waiting for a cue on what was happening. Oddly she wasn't nervous about him having his hands on her or with the idea of what things he might do with those hands. "Slow then." The quiet words had a heated promise to them.

She blushed harder when his hand moved to the inside of her thigh brushing it lightly before he lowered her leg. "Time to sleep Sweetheart before I forget about what I just said."

His hand continued to play with her hair as she attempted to drift off. This explained most of Cain's behavior since he got back. He had been, what was the best word? Courting her? She wasn't sure. She didn't much care either. She could still feel her heart beating hard in her chest as a wave of excitement washed through her. She had somehow managed to get her Tin Man and it appeared he wasn't about to go anywhere soon. She was so the bomb.

However facing him as his hand ran along the back of her neck was not conducive to sleep. Every time his finger brushed her skin through her hair a small jolt would run down her spine. Opening her eyes she leaned up and kissed his jaw much to his surprise before she turned over pressing her back to his chest. She grabbed his hand and placed it over her twining her fingers in his.

"Hard to focus on sleep when you're doing that Cain."

He snorted into her hair as his thumb started to run along her knuckles. She grumbled at him. He knew damn well what he was doing. "Stop it! Now you're being mean."

"And having you pressed up against me for the last two nights wasn't mean?"

Fine he wanted to play hardball. "Had I known your final goal was for both of us to be naked and moaning I would have left you alone."

She felt his arm tighten spasmodically around her. His reply was a tad strangled and she smirked. "Alright DG, truce. I'll let you sleep if you stop talking."

She snickered but closed her eyes. He held up his end of the deal and stopped being the worst tease in history. The next thing she knew it was morning and his lips were on the back of her neck. She twitched pressing herself back against him with a small mewl.

He held her for a moment longer before getting out of the small bed. She sighed cracking an eye open. "Time to start the search Princess."

"Nope. Time to find you some cloths Tin Man. You look like you stepped out of an old western movie. Your going to stick out like a sore thumb."

He looked down at his cloths not understanding the reference but getting the gist of the statement. She hopped out of the bed and started digging in her old dresser. She managed to find a pair of dark blue jeans and a black long sleeved top with a faded heart emblazoned on the front of it. This would work for her.

Straitening she went to her pack and dug out the strange magic compass she had used to get the emerald. Her mother told her it could be used to find almost anything if she focused her magic right. Then she grabbed Cain by the hand and led him toward the stairs. They made it to the living room and she lifted her nose smelling breakfast. She grinned; someone had gone grocery shopping while they were sleeping. She let go of Cain's hand bounding into the small kitchen cloths hanging from her arms.

Momster was standing in front of the stove cooking as the radio played softly in the background. Popsicle was sitting at the table with the newspaper and a cup of coffee sitting next to his elbow.

"French Toast!" Her favorite breakfast food that apparently didn't exist in the Outer Zone. "You're the best mom!" She ignored the part of her brain telling he this was not actually her mother. She was too geeked to care.

Emily glanced up with a small smile. "Go get changed DG breakfast will be ready when your done." Cain walked in as she sat the compass on the kitchen table. "Oh, Mister Cain we picked you up some Otherside clothing while we were out. It's in the living room."

He tilted his head. "Much obliged."

Popsicle waved his hand. "Not a problem. Can't have you running around town like that."

Both of them left to dress she came out feeling silly. She hadn't worn this shirt in forever, if she hadn't lost so much weight it wouldn't have fit her right. She lost track of her annoyance when she spotted Cain at the bottom of the stairs. She stood on the landing staring at his back. To be more precisely she was staring at his jeans. No man should be able to fill out jeans that well.

He turned and she leaned on the railing craning her neck to follow his butt. "What are you doing?" He sounded nervous as if he thought he was wearing them wrong.

She smirked at him in appreciation. "Damn Cain. Those are hot. Turn back around."

He made a strange groaning sound catching her around the wrist and pulling her back into the kitchen. Giggling like mad she took note of his blue button up shirt. It set his eyes off although the collar must be making him uncomfortable as he kept tugging at it.

She was deposited rather unceremoniously in one of the chairs around the table. Cain sat down next to her with a slight glare. She grinned at him and he pointed sternly at the compass. She picked it up as Momster set a plate of French Toast in front of her as her magic brought the devise to life. The glass arm glowed as it began to spin haltingly. It paused twice once aiming at the back of the kitchen past Cain, and once toward the living room, before it finally stopped pointing out the window.

Popsicle followed the line it made with a grunt. "Pointing toward town."

Momster had sat down and was examining the compass. "Why did it stop more than once?"

Cain picked up a fork and bravely began to cut into his breakfast. "The Queen said it was likely that more than one piece of her slipped over since she lived here so long."

"Ok then, field trip after breakfast." She set the compass in the middle of the table grabbing her fork and snatching up the syrup.

Author Note: Ok so that was a long chapter… I don't know what happened but I'm sure you lot are happy about it. Oh and you know what I always say next so I'll just skip it and hope you remember.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I own absolutely positively nothing.

They didn't end up leaving till almost noon because one of the turbines decided to blow up. Even she couldn't fix it without some new parts so the trip to town would be twofold. After she washed her grease covered hands she headed to her room on a mission.

She had to dig through her closet to find a purse big enough to fit the compass in. She was literally throwing things left and right as she went down on her stomach burrowing deeper in the bottomless pit. This was crazy. She knew she had one in here somewhere; Momster had gotten it for her as a birthday present last year. She grumbled, her legs pushing her deeper into the closet as she searched.

After what felt like a lifetime her fingers brushed against soft leather. "Ha! Gotcha!" She wrapped her fingers around the bag and started to shimmy backward with it. It was stuck under something. "Seriously? Get out of the there!" Her entire torso was still in the closet. She levered herself up with her free arm and braced her foot on the doorframe. Getting a firm grip on the bag with both hands she yanked on it with her arms as she pushed on the frame with her legs.

The bag came free but an avalanche of cloths, books, board games, and shoes suddenly attacked her. She covered her head with her arms curling into a defensive position as she was pelted. She felt one of the games hit her head and explode outward showering monopoly pieces in every direction. She sat still clutching the purse to her chest for a moment and cracked open an eye.

Popsicle and Cain were standing at the top of her stairs watching her. A contented smile played on her foster fathers face and Cain was looking at her as if she were some kind of natural disaster.

Popsicle hummed happily. "Good your ready then. Your mom's staying here so we can all fit in the pickup."

Cain gave him a double take. "This happens often?"

"What this? You should have seen her when she was trying to get ready for school."

"Do we need to share that Popsic-" She got to her feet then tripped over a shoe and fell back to the ground with a shout. She blinked up at her ceiling not sure how she ended up back on the ground. She came to the conclusion that she was gravity challenged. Then Cain was over her and grabbing her arms. He helped her to her feet and didn't let her go until they were out of the pile of dangerously tripping objects.

"Explain to me how you managed to live this long DG." Cain sounded partly amused and partly weary.

"I have a hard head."

He grunted and they went downstairs and out the door grabbing jackets as they went to her Roboparent's old red pickup truck. She opened the door and scooted to the middle seat belting in and clutching the compass in her lap so no one outside the truck would be able to see it. Popsicle spun the key ring around his finger as he got into the drivers seat and Cain sat next to her. He seemed less nervous about the truck than he had about the air mattress. She figured it was because it resembled DeMilo's wagon so much, minus the gaudy paint and freaky twins.

Starting the ignition the truck sprang to life and they bumped down the dusty roadway. She glanced out the window wishing she still had her motorcycle; the weather was perfect for it right now. Cool and crisp. She figured Cain would have liked to go for a ride. She turned her attention back to the compass and let her magic flow into it.

Once again it spun haltingly. It paused twice more before pointing straight down the road to town. She decided to let the spell go until they reached the city limits. "So where did you tell people I was? Because no one would believe I got tossed into a parallel world and I'm a princess."

He chortled his eyes crinkling at his foster daughter. "Since you'd been planning on running off to Australia we figured we'd stick with that story."

"You were going to run off?" Cain sounded alarmed at this.

She rolled her eyes. "Calm down Cain. I'd been saving up my work money for a year so I could travel. I wasn't exactly content here."

"And what? You were going to go alone?" His voice had hardened.

She glanced up out the window annoyed. She didn't feel a great deal of motivation to share her reasoning for a lone trip with that attitude or with Popsicle in the truck with them. "That was the general idea. The whole stopping the evil witch thing kinda nixed that plan."

He shot her a look that clearly conveyed his feelings on that subject. He was not pleased that she would think to do something so reckless. "Stop glaring at me! Nobody is out to hold me for ransom here. I didn't even know who I was when I booked my flight."

He sighed eyes flicking out the passenger side window. She opened her mouth to continue when she spotted his gun. "Cain! You can't have that here!" She pointed at his six-shooter.

His hand rested on the weapon. "I'm not going to walk around a strange place without my gun. What if someone attacks you?"

Popsicle glanced over at him. "She's right Mister Cain. You don't have a permit for that, you could get arrested if anyone sees you with it."

Cain's jaw clenched. Then his blue eyes landed on her his body relaxing. "Can you hide it with your magic?"

She tilted her head and slowly reached both her hands toward him. She placed one hand on the gun and the other on his cheek. "I'll try to make the illusion so only you and I can see the gun." She felt her forehead crinkle as she wove the spell around the gun making sure Cain's sight was unaffected by the glamour. It was tricky business and she wasn't sure it worked as she pulled her hands away letting the one on his face caress him subtly.

His eyes darkened for a moment at her touch. She grinned and noticed she could still see his firearm. "Can you still see it?"

He tore his eyes from her and grunted an affirmative. "Can you Popsicle?"

"Sure can't Peanut. You've been learnin." He said it in a proud way and she smiled. They drove into town shortly after and she let the compass do its thing. It finally settled as they turned a corner.

"Hilltop? Aww man." What part of her soul thought that Hilltop Café was home? That was so not cool.

"Should I ask?" Cain said dryly.

"I used to work here." He raised an eyebrow at her while Popsicle parked the car in the lot. She stuffed the compass in the purse to hide it.

He got out of the car helping her down and running his hand down her back as he shut the door. She bumped her hip against him gently before she headed toward the faded blue doors. The two men were close behind her and Cain held the door open for her as she walked in. She smiled at him amused with his manners.

It must be a weekday because the diner wasn't crowded. Only three tables had people at them and the two waitresses on shift were leaning against the bar chatting as their customers ate.

One of the waitresses, a young woman with strawberry blond hair turned when she heard the small bell over the door ring. Her face lit up when she recognized her friend. "DG!"

She flew out from behind the counter and wrapped her arms around her laughing happily. She smiled staggering backward. "Hey Shellie. How are you?"

Shellie jumped back with a huge grin on her face. "I'm fine." She started to tug her toward one of the tables. "You have to tell me all about your trip! I have been on pins and needles waiting to hear a classic DG story."

She laughed at her friend and motioned for Cain to follow them. Her mind had kicked into overdrive as she tried to come up with a sufficient lie to tell her former co-worker. Popsicle had gone to the counter when Carter's head shot out to see what all the yelling was about. She settled down at one of the old booths as Cain sat across from her his eyes sweeping the room. He had found every exit and sized up every person in the room by the time Shellie noticed he was there.

She grinned at him. "Hello! Are you a friend of DG's?"

He nodded. She cut in before he could say anything thinking that this lie would be better if she started it off. "This is Wyatt. We met on the plane going to Australia and traveled around together."

"How neat! What was your favorite part?"

She opened her mouth figuring she'd focus on Sydney, seeing as she'd at least read about the place, when Carter started barking at the poor girl. Shellie rolled her eyes and with a promise to return trotted off. Popsicle came over and sat down next to her with a wink. "I figured you might need some quiet to find it Peanut. You'd best hurry while she gets us some drinks."

She reached over to her purse but paused hand over the bag. As soon as she had focused on her magic she had felt something. Her head came up searching for the source. She felt it somewhere in the back of the kitchen.

She sat forward hissing at them. "It's in the back."

She shoved Popsicle out of the booth so she could stand up. "I'll be right back." She saw Cain start to move. "You stay here. I can get back there and no one's going to care. I promise not get killed in the next ten minutes alright?"

He was ready to argue but her Roborent gave an imperceptible nod of his head. Cain sighed unhappily but sat back. She headed over to Carter's window of doom for a chat. It took her five minutes to convince him that she could serve both herself and her table before he let her in the back. He told her to stay out of the way if she was going to socialize and she smiled sweetly at him as if making trouble was the very last thing on her mind.

Walking into the kitchen she sat at an old stool and listened with her magic. She felt a trace of apprehension floating back by the cooler. She shot a glance at Carter to make sure he was focused on the grill before she crept toward the large industrial freezer. Her magic leapt to her hand as she reached for the handle and she had to whip the door open and fly inside before anyone could ask why she was radioactive.

She flicked the light switch up so could see the small cold room more clearly. It was full of boxes and cans containing food products of all kinds. She felt a small amount of magic hiding in the far corner behind a box of tomatoes. She walked over to it and pushed the cardboard container aside. Coiled up in the corner of the freezer a small silver ball of light bounced up and down in agitation.

She could sympathize. She'd never felt very relaxed here either. She bent down so she could get a better look at it. It extended upward then folded in on itself its light pulsing. She held her hand out to it and it recoiled as if it were frightened. The weird thing was she knew it was. She rested her hand palm up on the shelf before it.

"Hey there. You don't need to worry. Please come to me it'll make us both feel better."

The little ball of light rolled around for a moment before popping up and landing on her hand. As soon as it touched her skin she felt a strange sensation shoot up her arm. The light absorbed into her skin and she gripped the shelf as her knees hit the cold floor. She felt dizzy as a dozen or more memories slammed through her accompanied by every emotion she'd felt when she'd made them.

Unsure how long she had been on her knees she rose up shakily and crept out of the cooler. No one saw her and she managed to make it back to the stool without collapsing. Two minutes later Carter told her she could take her food and get out of his kitchen. She grabbed a tray placing the plates on it and pushed out the kitchen door to the diner. She set the food down in front of Cain and Popsicle quickly and placed the tray on a nearby table.

She sank down beside Cain and he moved over enough to let her sit. As soon as he felt her shaking his arm wrapped around her pulling her to him. She let herself lean into him not caring what anyone thought about their closeness. "What happened Princess?"

"I caught it but it felt funny. And it was so nervous I thought it was going to run off."

Cain ran his hand up her side as she got herself under control. Popsicle was obviously worried but made no comment about her proximity to Cain. In fact he seemed to relax when he met the Tin Man's eyes. "See if eating helps Peanut."

She reached out grabbing a fry. She chewed it slowly and found that it did help. She concentrated on the taste in her mouth instead of the memories that were vying for dominance in her mind. Once her body stopped acting like a maraca Cain let her go so he could eat as well. Popsicle finished first and telling them he was going to get turbine parts took the check and left as they finished.

"I hope that doesn't happen every time. I feel like I got run over. But I got the first piece!" She figured that was worth something.

Cain was drinking his water and placed his arm over her shoulder as she finished chewing. His eyes were darting around the slowly filling diner anxiously. If she hadn't lived in the O.Z. for the last few months she would have found this funny, as it was she wanted to get them out before he had a heart attack.

"Ready to go Cain?" He let out a thankful breath and she stood up moving to the door. As he opened the door for her she grasped his hand meeting his eyes. He flashed her one of those rare smiles he saved just for her and she laughed walking out backward so she could stick her tongue out at him in good fun.

Laughter shone in his eyes at her antics and for once neither of them were paying attention to their surroundings. She crashed into someone and Cain yanked her back to him so she wouldn't fall over on top of her latest victim. She heard a man grunt and stumble behind her as she spun around with Cain's arm wrapping around her.

"Sorry! I wasn't watching..."

Elmer Gulch was straightening his uniform and watching her in a way that made her entirely uncomfortable. She stiffened pressing back into Cain in her surprise. She figured she could have handled this better if she hadn't just had a weeks worth of emotions thrust into her.

"What a surprise DG. Your back in town for ten minutes and already getting on my nerves." His voice was clipped although his eyes were sliding over her body as if he owned it. Cain stiffened behind her pulling her to his side possessively.

Gulch snapped his eyes from her body and up to Cain's face. Her Tin Man's eyes had turned to blue ice. He recognized the man from the photograph she had tossed into the fire and had come to the conclusion that he did not like him. Gulch glared back at him not backing down.

His eyes flicked to her and her heart sank at the nasty shine in them. "New boyfriend DG?" He looked back up at Cain. "Have fun with her while you can. She'll loose interest in you soon enough."

He gave her a cruel smile and walked past them into the diner. She stood staring at where he'd been standing stunned by the encounter. She felt like all the excitement of finding the first piece of her soul had been sucked away. "DG, what was that?" Cain's voice was cold as his eyes followed the cop's path into the diner.

"Nothing." She said it emotionlessly. "Come on we need to meet Popsicle."

Cain growled low in his throat when he saw Gulch watching them out the window. "He's watching you."

Great. That was not a good sign. She doubted they would be able to get out of Kansas without another Gulch encounter. She tugged on Cain's arm and started walking toward the hardware store. "Ignore him. It'll only be worse if he knows he's gotten under your skin."

Cain followed her but she could feel how stiff his body was. He recognized a threat when he saw one. "Who is he?" He had gone into Tin Man mode and wanted information.

"He's the local sheriff. The Otherside's version of a Tin Man." He heard the tension in her voice.

"I take it something happened between you two?" She flinched at Cain's blunt statement and the memories it produced.

"You could say that. And if you could not mention that in front of Popsicle that would be great." He looked over at her but she was staring straight ahead. Good thing her Robodad walked out of the store before he could ask her any more questions.

Author Note: Ok I know you were all eager for gulch so here he is. Don't worry he'll be back. Leave me a review or I'll let him give you a ticket.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

She was sitting beneath one of her farms windmills sans jacket with her sleeves pushed up past her elbows. The turbine had the audacity to defy her. She would make it pay even if it meant being coated in grease and oil for the rest of her natural life. She had pieces of metal, wires, and bolts in small, organized piles all around her and she turned to start digging around in her toolbox.

At least no one was bothering her while she worked on it. As soon as they got back Momster had abducted Cain for Ozma knows what reason and Popsicle had taken one look at the smoking hunk of machinery and fled. She figured it gave him the heebie-jeebies seeing as he was a machine underneath it all. So she had grabbed a wrench and started working. That had been two hours ago. She was starting to fume. She told herself it had nothing to do with Gulch.

After ripping the machine completely asunder she finally saw the problem. She raised an eyebrow wondering how it had fused together like that but figured it might be best not to ask. She checked every inch of the connecting wires to make sure it didn't have a short and then removed the burned section. It must have been struck by lightning. Tossing the hunk to the side she replaced it and began to rebuild.

She was so intent on the machine that when Cain sat down behind her and bumped his foot into a pile of parts she nearly smacked him in the face with her hammer. Good thing he was on his toes. He jerked his head back catching her wrist before she could knock him senseless.

"Don't do that! I could have knocked your head off!" She turned back around snatching up a flat piece of metal and inserting it in the proper place before hammering it in securely.

Cain said nothing as she continued to piece the turbine back together with quick efficiency. Amazing that it took her hours to take it apart so carefully and only a few minutes to reassemble it. Soon she was screwing in the last bolt and hooking up the power line. Getting to her knees she threw on the power and waited face tilted up as the arms of the windmill began to spin in the cool wind. She sighed in relief when the machine began to give off a low metallic hum.

All of a sudden her back was against Cain's chest and he was nuzzling her neck. She let her head fall back against his shoulder to give him better access as small warm shocks shot through her body. She wanted to touch him but her hands were covered in grime. Instead she turned her head and nipped at the soft spot behind his ear. She felt a rumble go through his chest and he kissed her neck lightly before he pulled back.

He met her eyes and she pouted at him. His lips twitched but he didn't continue his attentions to her body. With one free hand he gave her a damp towel he must have brought out with him. She perked up and began to de-grease herself. His hand was touching her side in an almost tickle as she moved from her hands to her wrists. Finishing she tossed the now dirty rag on her closed toolbox.

"Thanks Tin Man."

"Your welcome Sweetheart. Now tell me why that sheriff was trying to undress you with his eyes." She went rigid at the underlying rage in his voice. His arm tightened around her before she could even process the fact that she wanted to get away from him.

"Cain does it even matter? I ended things with him months before I ended up back in the Outer Zone."

"If he hadn't been looking at you like that then I would leave it alone DG. I've seen that kind of expression to many times. He wants to make your life miserable and I need to know how to handle him when he shows up. And before you say it, we both know he'll be back."

She turned her eyes away from his and gazed out across the field toward the road. He was right and if they were going to have story time she figured it would be better if she didn't have to see his face. She rolled her shoulders bracing herself. "We dated for six months right after I graduated. It was fun for a while but I realized a couple months in that he wanted things I didn't. He was already a sheriff here and wanted to make a life. I wanted to get he hell out of this place as soon as I had the money."

She shifted but Cain held her close listening. "I was over at his house one night and out of the blue he proposed to me. I saw the ring and freaked. I knew what my life would be like if I said yes. I'd live here forever and never leave, never get to go on any adventures, never get to see the world like I wanted to. And I didn't love him. How could I when he asked me that after I told him over and over that I wanted to leave?"

"So I told him no. I swear I tried to let him down easy. I told him it wasn't about him or the life he could give me." She paused afraid of Cain's reaction to the next part of the story. God help Elmer Gulch should he show up after this.

"He got angry, like evil witch angry. He started yelling about how I was out of my mind for turning him down. You know me, I just yelled right back and headed for the door, I figured he'd calm down in a day or two and we could talk then. Next thing I knew he had me against the wall and he was kissing me like he was trying to prove something. I told him to get off but he apparently didn't understand the concept of no."

She could feel Cain's anger building as his body went rigid. She thought he was getting ready to kill the man. Had she known him when it happened she would have let him. "I managed to get my arm loose and hit him. I was scared and angry and hit him harder then I meant to. I broke his nose and he started bleeding everywhere. By that point I wasn't feeling much sympathy for him and I grabbed my stuff and went home before he could get up."

"Popsicle was away at the time but Momster panicked when she saw the blood all over me. I was in such a fit I told her everything. It took her most of the night to calm me down and I made her promise not to tell Popsicle what happened. I didn't want him thrown in prison for shooting a cop."

She felt Cain growl low in his chest. "After that he didn't talk to me but he started ticketing me for every little thing he could. I started taking extra shifts at the diner so I could afford to leave sooner. I think he knew what I was planning and it got worse. I got angry and started to purposefully piss him off. Then I got blown over and thought I was out of here for good."

Cain was beside himself. "Are you telling me he used his position as a Tin Man-"

"Sheriff." She corrected automatically.

"-to make your life hell because you turned down his offer of marriage and defended yourself?"

"Yes." At least she wasn't the only one that found the man repulsive.

"Don't worry Sweetheart. If he shows up again I'll kill him for you."

She snorted and finally turned to face him. His eyes were icy pools that were gazing back toward town. She turned his face to hers and gave him a peck on the lips to gain his attention. "Cain, I don't want you thrown in jail either. Please just don't kill him all right? I would hate to have to send you back while I look for the rest of me here."

Cain did not look like he was going to acquiesce to her request. In fact he had a strange feral light in his blue eyes. She changed tactics. "Do you really want to leave me alone and unprotected? This place may not be full of magic but trust me I can find trouble like nobodies business."

His eyes narrowed at her. "You would go find it purposefully wouldn't you?"

She smiled at him mischievously.

He grumbled not pleased but defeated. "Fine, I won't kill him, but if he so much as looks at you funny I can't be held responsible for my actions."

She found this to be an acceptable compromise. "Fair enough." Then she turned into him and kissed him properly. His hand came up to cup her neck so he could deepen the kiss. She moaned softly when she felt her body begin to heat up from the contact. His mouth opened over hers and his tongue traced along her bottom lip hungrily. Her arms wrapped around his neck so she could keep herself upright as she parted her lips for him.

His tongue snuck into her mouth and tangled with hers. His free arm found its way around her and tucked her body as close to his as he could manage. She thought it was entirely possible that she could become a Cain addict in a very short amount of time. She started to try to pull him down over her when she heard her Robomom calling to them.

Cain broke away from her panting slightly and she knew her eyes were glazed over. He brushed her hair back into place and helped her to her feet. She sighed grabbing her tools and the broken part and they walked back to the old house.

All Momster wanted was for them to clean up for diner. They ate a small meal and she introduced Cain to the wonders of television. He found the 'magical box' as he put it, to be great fun. She'd never heard him ask so many questions about anything and eventually had given him the remote and showed him how to work it so he could flip around and find what he wanted.

She side tackled him into the couch when he stumbled over a western movie and she told him with glee that he could fit in no questions asked. He had snorted at her in disbelief but she made him watch it for a few minutes and a small smile played over his lips. He looked down at her. "Is this what you thought when you met me?"

"Dude. You are watching this right? You have the same hat, the same cloths, and the same brave, noble, dominate male persona. You are so an old school cowboy."

He shook his head at her but didn't disagree. She hooked her arm in his and they finished watching the movie. He asked a number of questions about the history behind the Wild West and she answered as best she could. Her foster parents had gone to bed at some point during the movie and she was leaning against him comfortably as the end credits started to roll across the screen.

It wasn't that late yet and she felt restless. Maybe reuniting with a part of her soul had side effects. "Do you want to sit outside for a while? I don't think its that cold out."

In response he helped her to her feet and picked up a blanket that was resting on the back of the loveseat. She let Cain lead her to the largest of the porch furniture and she sat down pulling him with her. He grunted as he lost his balance and landed with a bump on the large padded wicker bench.

Before he could scold her she stretched out on the bench laying her head on his thigh. He threw the blanket over her and his hand came down to rest on her head. She let her arm fall off the bench to play with the edge of the soft material. She hummed in contentment figuring she didn't mind being in Kansas for a while since Cain was here when she saw headlight coming up her dark driveway.

Her head came up and she propped herself on her elbows. Who on Earth would be here at this time of night? A familiar car pulled up and she cursed. This was going to be ugly. As Gulch stepped out of the car Cain went rigid next to her his hand moving from her head to her shoulder. She glanced up at his face and saw that it was completely impassive. It was the same way he had looked when he had walked up from his dock after she had let him out of the iron maiden.

She didn't like Gulch but she didn't want him to die either. She jumped off the bench and jogged to the edge of the porch as Elmer reached the bottom of the stairs. "You need to leave."

Cain was standing not far behind her in the shadows of the porch arms crossed, watching. Gulch ignored him. She knew she left him for a reason; he was an idiot. "No, I want to talk to you." His voice clearly stated that this was not an option.

She hissed at him. "Tough. Get off our farm."

"Not until you tell me where you really were! You're mine! You had no right to leave like that!"

She laughed in his face. "Are you out of your mind? I don't belong to anyone and certainly not to you! Now go away and don't come back."

She knew what he was going to do and mentally wished him a fond farewell. As he lunged up the stairs she sidestepped rolling her eyes. Cain caught him by the collar before he was fully aware that her Tin Man had moved. Cain slammed him against the side of the house with his arm under his chin cutting off his air supply.

"That is no way to treat a lady." Cain's voice had taken on that teasing edge it got when he was toying with his prey. She moved back toward the door of the house not wanting to get in the way.

Gulch started to struggle against him but Cain simply applied more pressure to his windpipe. Big Stupid finally stopped so Cain would let him breath. Taking what air he could into his abused lungs he wheezed out. "She's no lady and if she told you otherwise you're the biggest fool to ever set foot in this town."

Cain sighed as if Gulch were a particularly slow child. "I have a feeling you believe that about as much as I do. Now, I'm going to let you go and your going to leave like DG said or you and I are going to have a problem. Off you go." With that Cain twisted his arm behind the other man's neck and shoved him back toward the stairs.

Gulch stumbled then turned and lunged at the Tin Man. He swung at him and Cain dodged catching Elmer's fist in his hand and turning it at an unnatural angel. Gulch fell to the wooden slates then rolled to his feet and went at him a second time. He had a very slow learning curve she thought idly.

Cain apparently felt he had played with Gulch long enough. When the cop came at him the second time Cain once again dodged the blow aimed for his head and struck Elmer straight across the jaw. What made the hit even more unpleasant for the sheriff was the fact that the force of it sent him staggering backward over the porch railing. He landed on the ground with a hard thump.

Cain walked over to the railing and glanced down at the stunned man. "That was educational for you I'm sure. Next time you try to fight someone you should be sure you know how to fight yourself."

Gulch blinked up at him as Cain continued. "Now I'm going to clear up a few of your misconception while you're down there and paying attention. DG is her own person and is going to do what she wants. You are not going to interfere with that in any way or the next lesson I give you is going to be a lot less gentle. You are also going to listen when she tells you to do something and I believe she told you to get off her land. Do you have any questions?"

Gulch stood up and turned on his heel heading for his car. He got in slamming the door and drove off. She walked up next to Cain impressed. "Wow. That was possibly the greatest thing ever."

He sighed holding his hand up she could see a bruise forming on the knuckles. "Geez Cain! Come on let's put some ice on that." She wrapped her hand around his wrist and headed inside. She pushed him up the stairs and went into the kitchen. Grabbing an ice pack out of the freezer she wrapped an old towel around it and went into her room.

Cain was standing by the window watching the road. She locked the door and cast a silencing spell around the room. She didn't want to wake up her Roboparents if Cain wanted to talk. She crawled onto the bed sitting in the middle with the ice pack still in hand. "Come're Cain I don't think he'll be coming back tonight."

Cain shot one more look out the window before sitting down next to her. She drew his injured hand to her and placed the ice on it carefully. His hand twitched below her but he didn't complain. She tilted her head up so she could meet his eyes. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me DG. He had that coming to him."

"Yeah, but your fist doesn't deserve that kind of punishment."

He pulled his hand away from the ice pack and used it to help deposit her in his lap. His lips found hers and she twisted so she could straddle him. He held her against him for a few seconds before he flipped them both over. Pressing her down into the mattress he nibbled at her lip before he pulled away enough to breath a question to her. "Is this alright Sweetheart?"

She nodded grabbing the back of his head to get him as close to her as possible.

Author Note: I know not as fast as usual for me. Sorry, I had to finish a project for school but I figured this chapter might be worth the wait. I love to hear from you guys so don't hesitate to hit that button over to the left. Do you see it? No? Keep looking!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Tin Man is not mine but the characters are rooting for me.

He snuck his hand beneath her back and lifted her enough to get them both lying flat across the bed. His weight settled on top of her and she wrapped one of her jean-clad legs over the back of his thigh with lightheaded joy. She broke away from his mouth and started trailing kisses down his jaw.

He lifted his head away from hers propping himself up on an elbow. It really gave her perfect access to his neck. Except his shirt collar was in the way. She let go of the back of his neck to attack the buttons of his shirt as she nipped the salty skin right above it. He grunted in surprise at the feeling of her teeth on him.

The arm that wasn't holding him up caught her neck and pulled her face back up to his. He kissed her gently and she growled into his mouth tugging at his shirt urgently. Screw the slow plan. She knew him and trusted him and he had been nothing but good to her since the day they met. He was so close and she had pretty much lost all reason. Letting go of her neck he reached down and grabbed her wrists in his hand and placed them swiftly over her head.

His breathing was ragged as he leaned down and put his forehead on hers. She raised an eyebrow at him bucking her hips up and rubbing him through their cloths. He hissed as his body responded to hers driving her firmly down into the sheets before he could stop himself.

He groaned softly to her eyes shut tightly. "Sweetheart your going to kill me. I'm not about to make love to you when your nurture units are downstairs. If they heard us they'd kill me for sure."

She tightened her leg around him feeling clever. "They won't hear anything. I put a silencing spell around the room."

His eyes snapped open. He stared at her astonished for a moment before he started to laugh. The vibrations rocked through her body pleasantly. "Your something else DG."

She smiled before she placed her lips back on his and tried to pull her arms back down. He let her go and her hands flew back to his shirt continuing to unfasten the small white buttons, a line of tan skin rewarding her efforts. He started to explore the side of her face with his lips and fingers. As she got the last button free he grabbed the back of her leg and sat them up.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders to keep her balance. His large hands traced her sides while he looked into her eyes. His blue eyes were dark and she was molded so closely to his body she could feel him pressing into her stomach. Her breath caught when his hands moved under the hem of her shirt and caressed her bare skin.

"We can still stop Darlin." His hands circled her waist without going up any higher. She ran one hand up from his shoulder and to the nape of his neck running her fingers through his short hair. She titled her head at him grateful for his wiliness to wait and also deeply frustrated that she was being forced into the position of the aggressor in this particular situation. She knew she wanted him and understood the mechanics behind it but this was new territory for her.

"I don't want to stop." His eyes darkened further his hands tightening their grip. She licked her lips as nervousness finally got the best of her. "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

His eyes softened and one of his hands left her side to cup her face. "Relax Sweetheart. It's not a test, you can't do anything wrong." She felt the knot in her stomach loosen and she gave him a small smile. He kissed her softly as his other hand began to peel her shirt up and off her.

She raised her arms and he removed it tossing it to the floor next to the bed. His hands returned to her body almost immediately and feeling bolder she pushed the blue material off his shoulders. They had a brief moment of confusion when his arms were caught in his shirt cuffs but she managed to free him. She began to run her fingertips over his chest and he groaned laying her back down as he trailed kisses along her neck.

Getting back up on his elbows he made his way slowly down her body, hands and lips tracing every inch of skin they could find. He paused when he reached the top of her dark bra kissing around the lacy material as his thumbs tickled the skin below it. Her breathing hitched and she arched toward him in encouragement.

Ignoring this he continued his journey south and she whimpered frustrated. He kissed her hipbone and unfastened her pants. Gripping the edge of the material he tugged on it gently and she lifted her hips so he could slide the denim off her. As Cain's eyes took her in she was very happy she had decided on a matching pair of underwear today.

His hands came down to rub the outside of her legs. "Your gorgeous Sweetheart." She felt herself blush at his honest compliment but didn't have much time to dwell on it. He was back on the bed next to her, his hands running over her body in the most imaginative ways. She began to run her hands along his back her desperation for him increasing. She rubbed herself against him her kisses becoming frantic.

"Please Wyatt… Need you." Her voice was as close to begging as she'd ever heard it.

He growled low in his throat yanking at the material of her bra. She rose up unfastening it for him and he slid it off her arms quickly. His hands cupped her breast and she moaned as he used his thumb to run slow circles around them. She wrapped her leg back around his waist and rocked against him searching for some sort of release. Then his hand moved between them and he ran it between her legs.

She bucked beneath him with a startled cry. He kissed her and she could feel him grinning against her lips. Quickly unhooking her leg he nearly tore the small strip of fabric off her. Replacing his hand he pressed one finger slowly into her as his thumb hit the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs. She began to pant as his finger crooked upward hitting a spot inside her that made her see spots. She latched onto his shoulders hoping he would anchor her as new and pleasurable sensations began roll through her.

She moaned into his ear as her head thrashed on the pillow. He pressed a second finger into her stretching her in a new way and she gasped torn between pleasure and pain, her body spasming as lights exploded behind her eyes.

"Cain!" Her fingers flexed and she quivered as he continued to move his hand against her bringing her down slowly. She buried her face against his neck as his hand withdrew running slowly through the curls between her legs.

He held her close to him as she came down from her high. Once she could form semi-coherent thought she decided he should be reward for that. Because damn. Sneaking a hand between them she slid it inside his pants and ran her hand against him. Caught off guard Cain cursed going stiff above her.

Taking hold of her hands again he held them away from his body with a strangled sigh. "This is going to be over before it starts if you keep that up Sweetheart."

Her body was humming from her recent orgasm and feeling oddly comfortable with him hovering over her she grinned up at him. "Just wanted to return the favor Cowboy."

He shook his head but his lip twitched. "While I appreciate that, I think it would be best to hold your curiosity in check for a while longer Darlin."

She fought back a giggle looking up at him as his eyes flicked from her face down her body. She shifted to give him a better view and his hand moved to rest on her stomach as he looked back to her face analyzing. His hand slid off her as he stood up removing those jeans she like so much before climbing back on top of her. As his weight settled on her she spread her legs her hands coming up to hold his arms. The nervous butterflies in her stomach had returned.

His blue eyes gazed down at her tenderly. "This is going to hurt the first time DG no matter how easy I am."

Her hands tightened on his arms briefly before she willed her body to relax. It helped that Cain had started to kiss her so adamantly. She sighed into his mouth as his hands ran slowly up her legs. As soon as she arched against him he tightened his grip on her thigh and thrust into her quickly. Her head jerked into the pillow and she let out a pained cry when she felt a burning pain between her legs.

Cain grabbed her face holding it as he stayed completely still inside her. His voice was strained but sincere as he held her gaze. "I'm sorry Sweetheart. Try to relax, that's the worst it will ever feel I promise."

She whimpered focusing on his face. She could feel him fighting to stay still and he lowered his head to rest next to hers on the pillow. His breathing was strained and she suddenly didn't mind that this was so uncomfortable. Bracing herself she bucked her hips gently to get him to start moving.

He groaned raising his head back up to look at her. She bucked against him again and he pulled out of her briefly before pushing gently back in. She bit her lip as he moved inside her wondering how long this was going to hurt for. Holding her leg he pushed it farther up his waist and twisted his hips as he thrust into her again. She gasped as he hit her clit the jolt of pleasure pushing the pain to edge of her consciousness.

Pale eyes flicked to her face and he repeated this action. Her breath hitched again and he started to press into her in earnest. She moaned as he continued to thrust into her. She began to spiral up again and then his hand was between them and rubbing her. She arched screaming his name as a wave of ecstasy hit her. Her vision went dark momentarily and the stars made a return appearance, except this time they were brighter, and she felt him release inside of her with a shout of his own.

He collapsed on her managing to keep enough of his body weight off of her so she could breath. She lay under him panting and quivering her mind wiped blank. The start had kinda sucked but the ending had more than made up for it. She hadn't thought anything could feel that good.

Cain rolled to the side and as he slid out of her she winced slightly. He pulled her against his side stroking her hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. She could hear his heart hammering and placed her hand over the spot. Her body was tingling pleasantly and she could feel her eyelids drooping. She stretched out and felt slickness between her legs.

"DG?" Cain had managed to get his breathing back under control and was now on his side facing her.

"Hmmm?" She snuggled into him thinking sleep sounded like a great plan of action.

"Are you sore Sweetheart?" His hand was running over her hip and he kissed her forehead.

"Sleepy." Ok, so she was sore but she could deal and really, what was he going to do?

He snorted at her pulling a blanket over them. She sighed in contentment as his arm wrapped back around her. Pity they couldn't stay in bed for the rest of their lives. She was sure that would be fun. She yawned against him falling into comfortable darkness.

She looked up into a younger Azkadilla's malevolent eyes. She grinned wickedly down at her raising her small smooth hands over her prone body. Dark energy gathered around her sister as the witch forced Az to attack her. Her body started to convulse painfully as the magic wrapped around her sucking her life away.

She started to scream even though she knew she hadn't had the ability to do that before. Silver balls of light flashed out from her in half a dozen directions as she grasped at them madly. When they fled from her she felt sick and undone.

"DG!" Cain shook her hard enough to wake her.

She rolled away from him sobbing into the pillow. She curled up shaken and confused. Her dreams had never ended like that before.

"DG what happened?" Cain was not going to let her freak out by herself. He held her to him as she cried. She had no idea what to tell him.

Author Note: Reviews Happy writers. So everyone knows.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I want to own it, I really do….

She sucked air into her lungs fighting to get control of herself. What the hell was that? Cain was holding her but she refused to open her eyes or uncurl her body. He began to nuzzle the back of her neck when she refused to relax. Her body loosened gradually as his hands ran over her body. Damn it, she wasn't a crier.

"I'm alright." She gasped out. His hands stilled as he kissed her neck. "Just… just another bad dream. It's nothing."

Cain sighed. "Yes DG, you often burst into tears for no apparent reason."

She let out a strangled laugh wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand. She sniffed thinking this was not a very romantic morning after. Of course, she should be used to not having things work out the way they did for other people by this point, but really.

"I felt my soul splitting. I think six pieces got away."

Cain tucked her against him kissing the top of her head. She twisted so she was facing him. She glared at him punching his arm lightly grumbling. "Put away the worried eyes Cain. Talk about a mood killer."

She started to move off the bed annoyed with the whole morning as she reached for her pants when his arm caught her and hauled her back. She yelped in surprise. He attacked her with a growl hands gliding over her body. "Can't have that Sweetheart."

She gasped her body responding to his immediately. She grabbed his head yanking him down and sealing his lips to hers. Her world started to go fuzzy as she twinned her leg around his and he rubbed against the outside of her. She twisted her head and rubbed her nose in the hallow behind his jaw.

He took hold of her free leg and hooked it over his arm kissing her cheek. She stiffened worried this would hurt the way it had last night. Cain moved his lips to her ear his breath sending chills down her spine. "It'll only feel good this time Darlin."

She shivered at the tone of his voice. His eyes came up to look at her as he positioned himself. She couldn't ever remember them being such a dark blue before. He leaned down and kissed her as he pressed himself into her. She moaned into his mouth as he filled her.

She could feel him stretching her but this time it didn't hurt, not much at any rate. She could certainly appreciate the feeling of fullness a whole lot more. She whimpered tilting her hips to try to get him deeper inside of her. He groaned as he began to move slowly with her. It didn't take her long to find the rhythm he had set and she moved with him as best she could.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders when his mouth returned to her ear and began to rumble the most delightful things to her as he moved inside of her.

"Sweetheart, you feel so good wrapped around me like this. You're so hot and tight."

Her hips jerked his words distracting her from helping him. He bit her earlobe gently and pushed harder into her as she gasped.

"I'm going to make you feel good in ways you didn't know were possible DG. I want to watch those pretty blue eyes of yours glaze over while you scream my name." He punctuated this with another hard thrust and she arched against him clawing at him teetering on the edge of release.

His head came back up so he could see her face his pupils dilated. "Say my name again DG." He shoved into her once more throwing her over.

"Wyatt!" Her body convulsed and she moaned his name. He growled in approval his arm pressing her leg higher as he moved inside her losing his tempo. She let out a series of high pitched mewls as her body continued to pulse. He finally let go and she felt a warm wetness between her legs as he released inside of her.

He lay on top of her his body shaking. His arm let her leg loose and his hand snaked around to cup her sweaty neck. She turned her head so she could see him her breathing as ragged as his. He was smiling at her his fingertips caressing her ever so lightly. Her lips twitched in response to him. "So I take it last night wasn't a one time thing then?"

His eyebrows shot up to his hairline at that question. "What?"

She obviously should have kept her fat mouth shut. The hurt in his eyes was evident but she honestly had no idea what his motivations for last night had been. "Nevermind." She rolled away feeling awful. "We should get up before my Roboparents come looking for us."

She made it a whopping six inches before he stopped her. "Let's try that again Sweetheart. Why would you think that?"

"I'm sorry alright! It was a stupid thing to say." Most notably because she was now trapped by a confused Tin Man. She needed to start thinking before she started talking but Cain had made her brain short circuit.

He turned her face back to his pinning her body so she couldn't escape. His eyes were searching hers. "DG… I thought you knew I was courting you. I wouldn't have touched you unless I meant us to have some kind of future together."

"Oh." She stared at him. That was sweet. Then her eyebrows drew together. "Should I have known that?" She thought something might have been lost in translation. Not that she wasn't thrilled by this information, she'd keep this man around for as long as she could, but sleeping with someone didn't necessarily mean anything on this side of the rainbow. And she knew absolutely nothing about courting practices; Momster really should have filled her in on this along with a number of other things.

He tilted his head bewildered. Despite the oddness of this conversation she always loved bringing that particular expression to his face. He was normally so sure of everything that when she threw him off it was priceless. "You wore the comb I gave you." He sounded terribly unsure of himself all of a sudden.

"Yeah, it's pretty and you made it for me. No one ever made me anything before. Why wouldn't I wear it?" She was eying him like he was crazy.

He closed his eyes and one of his hands came up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "DG-" She had to bite her tongue to stop the snicker that was bubbling up in her at his straggled tone. "-that was a courting gift."

She had a feeling she knew where this was going and could feel the laughter fighting to get out. She just couldn't resist forcing an answer from the now uncomfortable man. How he could be uncomfortable with her right now, with both of them naked and slick from lovemaking in her childhood bed was beyond her. However she could spot an opportunity when she saw one. "A what?"

He growled his eyes snapping open. "A courting gift. It's traditional in the Outer Zone for a suitor to make a gift for a woman if he wants to declare his intentions. If she wears or uses the gift it means she has excepted his attentions."

Her lip started to twitch like mad and he glared at her. "Why is that funny?"

She lost the fight and started laughing at his annoyance with the whole situation. He made to get up but she grabbed him not wanting him to be angry. She kissed his jaw as she caught her breath. "Awwww! That's like, the cutest thing I've ever heard."

She felt him growl again. "It's not supposed to be cute DG! And I certainly didn't mean to confuse you." He was grumpy now.

"Wait! Don't be mad. I'm sorry I didn't know that." She held onto him as he sat them up. He glanced down at her as she held onto his neck. "Things don't work like that here Cain. I still would have worn the comb if I'd know that."

She felt him relax and his arm came up to rub her back. "It's hardly your fault. What were they teaching you while I was gone?"

She shrugged grinning. "Apparently nothing useful. But I had fun watching you tell me about courting."

His jaw twitched when he saw how her eyes were dancing. He set her on her feet with an exaggerated sigh. "If your done harassing me to within an inch of my life you should get cleaned up. Then we can start looking for the next piece of you. I don't like that your nightmares are getting worse."

She sighed reaching down for her cloths. She pulled the old black shirt over her head ignoring her underwear, she was going to go straight to the shower, and got into her jeans wincing when she turned to her dresser. She felt like the inside of her legs had been badly bruised and fought against a whimper as she bent over to get clean cloths.

She heard Cain dressing behind her as she rummaged around. She scrounged up another pair of jeans and a plain green sweater thinking she needed to go shopping or do laundry. Standing she hissed softly under her breath and started heading toward the door. Her hand was on the lock when she felt Cain press up behind her his hand slipping under the fly of her jeans. She jerked gasping as his hand hit the tender skin.

"You're still sore." He said this as if she had lied to him. "You should have told me, I would have been more gentle with you this morning."

"You didn't exactly hurt me Wyatt." Sarcasm lost some of its impact when she was trying not press against his hand. He was distracting her from doing something… she was almost sure of it. His fingers flicked over her center for a moment and she pressed her hands against the door to keep herself upright. Then he took his hand away and unlocked the door.

She huffed at him straightening her back. That was plain rude. Opening the door she shot a glare at him and he smirked at her. She turned her nose up in mock anger and walked down the stairs into the bathroom. She was torn between wanting to let the hot water run over her and wanting to keep smelling like Wyatt, which she found somewhat strange.

The water did make her legs feel better. She emerged feeling less sticky but starving. She passed Cain on the way down the stairs winking jauntily at him as he noticed the comb back in her hair and headed to the kitchen hearing the shower door close behind her. Rounding the corner she figured they had beaten her nurture units up. That was weird, they were usually up at the crack of dawn and it was at least eight. With a mental shrug she opened the fridge and began to rummage around.

She wasn't great at cooking. She considered her options and decided on omelets. She could make killer omelets. She grabbed eggs, cheese, peppers, and salsa out of the fridge. She wasn't sure Cain had ever had salsa. Walking to the counter she set the lot down and procured a skillet setting it on the stove and revving the bad boy up.

By the time the Tin Man walked down the stairs she had two plates covered in eggs and toast ready to eat. He raised an eyebrow at her then looked around the kitchen and into the living room. "I don't know where they are. Maybe they went shopping or something."

They found out twenty minutes later when her Roboparents walked in the front door. She had been setting the plates in the sink and Cain had been getting awfully sneaky with his hands when they heard the door bang open. He sprang away from her as if she were on fire and she smirked at him as Popsicle stomped into the kitchen.

She turned on the water washing away the biggest crumbs as he whipped a chair out and sat down with a thump. "Uhh… should I ask what's the matter?"

Momster walked in with a sigh. "Officer Gulch decided to ticket him for speeding on the way back."

She dropped the dish she was holding and it clattered to the bottom of the sink. That son of a bitch. "He did what?!?" She could actually feel her blood boiling in her veins.

Wyatt grabbed her wet hand lifting it up so she could see it was pulsing with magic. "Calm down Sweetheart. No need to blow the house up." She snarled but regained control and her magic reabsorbed into her skin.

Momster and Popsicle were both staring at them. She looked at the large hand holding her wrist and knew why. Not only had Wyatt let her new nickname slip out they could clearly see his bruised knuckles. Her eyes darted back to him and he rolled his eyes.

"That _sheriff_-" Cain put an interesting emphasis on the word. "-decided to come by and chat last night. I'm afraid he left in worse condition then he came."

"That would explain why the left side of his face was purple." Momster remarked casually. Her foster mother was looking at her in a very knowing way her eyes running over her and resting briefly on the face then the comb in her hair. So much for secrecy.

Popsicle who was now totally out of the loop simply pointed to the compass that had been placed back on the kitchen table. "Best start searching again now Peanut. No telling when he may decide to drop by for another visit with an arrest warrant."

She grumbled and picked up the device letting her magic power it. Elmer Gulch was such a menace to society. The compass whirred pointing once again back through Wyatt before it stopped facing the living room. At least they wouldn't have to go anywhere this time. She walked past her Roborents and into the living room. They all follow close behind her.

Moving past the couch the compass whirred and pointed to the right. She paused and followed its direction. She hadn't taken three steps when the compass whirred again and point backward. She turned around searching the room with her eyes. She didn't see anything and neither did anyone else.

Dropping the spell she set the compass on the loveseat so she could listen more carefully. She hadn't needed the compass once they were in the dinner, maybe she didn't need it now. Opening up she felt a thrill of mischief race around her. Oh no, this was going to be trouble. She closed her eyes concentrating harder. She felt something zing beneath her feet. Her eyes snapped open and she looked down at the old floor.

"Great it's hiding under the house."

Author Note: Hey guys! Look, I know I have some grammar problems and I am sorry about that but it's faster if I don't have a beta. So you can either get a post as soon as I'm done checking it over myself, or you can wait a couple days. I figure you just want something to read and to be honest I like to post as soon as I'm finished. Not that I don't appreciate the fact that you want to help me make the story better. So leave me a review and sorry if I missed anything.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man just want to.

"Why would it be under the house?" Cain was looking at floorboards curiously.

"Errrmmm…." She bent down putting her hand to the wood listening to it. The thing felt like it was on speed or something. "I have no idea but it's awfully excited."

Popsicle tilted his head. "I thought you said the last one was nervous? Why would this one feel different?"

Why did people keep asking her things? Like she actually knew the answers. "How should I know? When my soul popped out it didn't leave me with fix it instructions."

Cain snorted. "Is there a way to get under there?"

She muttered standing up and pulling off her sweater to reveal a dark brown tank top. There was no way she was going to ruin one of three Otherside articles of clothing she had here. "I'll have to crawl under the porch." She hadn't done that since she was thirteen and trying to catch an injured stray cat that had wondered onto the farm.

She walked out the door and hopped over the railing regretting it immediately. The insides of her legs still hurt. She shook her head and moving a few feet to the left, crouched down and pulled an old piece of plywood away from the baseboards of the house. She was met with the smell of dry earth and darkness.

She shuddered internally the sensory stimulation bringing back her worst memory. She saw a shadow fall over her and glancing up saw Cain looking down at her. She smiled at him pushing the thought away and bending down, wiggled into the space.

She heard Cain call to her. "Wait a second! I haven't checked to be sure it's safe!"

She rolled her eyes and let her hand light up. "Relax Cain! It's a crawl space in Kansas! The worst thing that could be down here is a skunk."

The sunlight that had been pouring in behind her as she moved deeper in was suddenly blocked. She managed to get her head up enough to see that it was the over protective Tin Man trying to snatch her backward by her ankle. She scooted farther in so he couldn't reach her. There was no way he could fit in here so how he was supposed to check to see if it was safe was a mystery.

"DG! Get back here right now!" He barked, hand grabbing empty air.

"Nope." She was feeling spunky and a little turned on by his bossiness. She wondered how far she could push him. "Going to go get my soul back. Be a good Tin Man and wait for me."

He growled at her and she was sure if she turned around his eyes would be flashing. She grinned then pushed the idea of a growly Wyatt away and began to hunt for her soul. She heard it to the left and started to drag herself that way. Rounding a wooden support beam she saw it. It looked exactly like the last piece except it was bouncing up and down animatedly. Alright then.

"Hey you! Come here!" She held out her hand expecting it to jump into it as the first one had. It froze mid-bounce and twisted itself in a corkscrew. Then it sprang away around the support beam, popping top over bottom like a possessed slinky.

"What the hell? Get back here!" She scrabbled around on the packed dirt scrapping her shoulder in her haste. She used the edges of her shoes to push her body after the errant thing. Every time she got within striking distance it would bounce off a wave of manic glee following it.

She was now cursing like nobodies business. No piece of her soul was going to act like this to her! She let her magic loose and shot a bolt of energy at it. "I swear if you don't get over here right now I'll kill both of us!" Her soul ignored her threat but not her magic and made a mad dash for the exit.

"Crap! Cain, stop it! It's trying to escape!" She heard shuffling and saw Cain's head and arm come down in front of the hole. Her soul bounced past his ear as she frantically hurled her body out from under the house. Cain barely avoided the collision and she staggered to her feet.

"Is that it?" Popsicle was pointing at the porch railing where her soul was spinning like a top. She narrowed her eyes and began to stalk it. Cain went in the opposite direction heading for the stairs and Momster was standing in the doorway. She crouched down and leapt at it smashing her ribs into the railing and missing it by an inch when it flipped over in the air to land on the porch. She hauled her leg over the railing quickly as it turned into a narrow disc and spun itself toward the house.

Momster nearly got it when it flashed past her leg and she slid to a staggering halt before she could run past the doorway. Grabbing the handle of the screen door she twisted her body inside and darted after it. This was so not cool! It rolled past the living room and she thought it was heading to the kitchen so she didn't bother to slow down. Bad move.

It turned back into its slinky form and jumped up the stairs. She put on the breaks and fell to the ground hard. "Are you alright?" Wyatt was behind her and helping her up.

No, she was pissed. "Wait outside in case it changes direction again." Then she was off and up the stairs after it. She saw it as it spun into her room and chased after it slamming the door behind her so it had nowhere to go. Pity she forgot about the window. It changed direction with no warning and somehow managed to squeeze under the frame.

She tore the window open and scrambled onto the roof. The light ball bounced up and down in front of her. She shouted at it. "What are you a freaking snitch?"

Momster called out below her. "DG? Be careful on the roof!"

She balanced carefully going after her soul as she yelled back. "Be careful? You know the last time I was up here I'm pretty sure you threw my off it and into a tornado!"

She managed to corner it on one edge of the roof. She grinned and lunged at it. It jumped off the roof. It freaking jumped off. She let out a shout as her body slid to the edge her hands searching for purchase. She managed to grab hold of the gutters as her body swung off into the air.

"Princess!" Cain's shout broke through her fear. She glanced down and figured an eight-foot drop wouldn't kill her. She turned her head spotting Wyatt frozen six feet behind her and her soul bouncing merrily below her.

"Get ready to catch the runaway Tin Man." She saw his eyes widen when he figured out her plan. He nodded though he was obviously not happy about it. She let go dropping like a rock. Her soul bounced backward to avoid her as her feet hit the ground and she toppled backward. She reached behind her after it but it got away, for a second.

Cain was faster than it was. He snatched it up with a triumphant smile and she gasped her entire body tingling. She lay on the ground not moving as he walked over to her concern replacing his pleasure. Her head lolled to the side her heart beating like mad. He knelt down beside her and she began to quiver along with the piece of her he was holding.

"DG? What is it?" His free hand grabbed her face and she whimpered feeling like she might faint. He looked down at his other hand and as her Roboparents ran up to them he took one of her limp hands and placed it firmly over his closed fist as he opened his fingers.

She could see light filter between their fingers for a moment then stiffened as her body reabsorbed the second missing part of her. She was assaulted with another torrent of memories and she closed her eyes clenching her teeth together. When they passed she found herself being carried toward the house.

She didn't fight as Cain moved through the front door and laid her on the couch. That had been the weirdest feeling she had ever experienced. Cain had been holding her _soul_. She began to quake as she lay on the couch. She felt very odd, the same way she had after Raw had read her the first time.

"Are you alright Peanut?" Popsicle's hand was on her forehead and she shrank away nodding. She really did not want to be touched for a few minutes. She pushed up into a sitting position curling up into the side of the couch.

Momster came in from the kitchen and handed her a glass of water while Cain watched her intently. She made sure not to brush her foster mother's fingers as she took hold of the glass. "That was exciting. I think I need to go lay down." Anything to be alone for a while.

She got to her feet avoiding Cain's outstretched hand and his eyes. She walked slowly up the stairs clutching the handrail so she wouldn't fall over. Opening the door to her room she moved to the bed and crawled into it after removing her shoes. She closed her eyes letting her mind run over the memories so they would stop screaming at her.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there before Cain came up after her. She heard the lock on her door click and the bed sag down next to her as he removed his shoes. She went stiff as he lay down next to her and his arm wound around her. "Put up a silencing spell Darlin."

She let her light flare and the room sparkled momentarily as the spell solidified. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. Cain was silent and unmoving behind her. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, that felt… different." She couldn't come up with a better word.

He rubbed her arm gently in response. "I'll try not to do that again."

She snorted flipping over to face him. "You didn't know that was going to happen and I asked you to catch it. It was better than letting it get away."

He made a soft sound in the back of his throat. She kissed him. "Not your fault Wyatt. I just needed a minute. All better now."

He rolled his eyes at her holding her closer. She snuggled up to him tickling his neck with her nose. He grumbled trying to get her to stop. She grinned eyes flicking up to his face. "Your ticklish!"

"No, I'm not." He stated this with a great deal of certainty.

She felt her impishness returning. Her fingers came up to his neck and she began to tease his skin. He twitched… he was such a liar. Before he knew what was happening she had swung her leg over his hip and flipped them over so she was on top of him. Then she attacked him with a vengeance.

He tried to grab at her hands but she twisted every which way avoiding him. He fought against his laughter gallantly but in the end lost the fight, he really didn't stand a chance against her. She kept at him for a while until she saw tears in his eyes and reluctantly left him alone. She leaned down over him smiling as he sucked air into his abused lungs.

His face was flushed and his eyes were glittering. She felt herself melt at his full-hearted smile. "You should laugh more Cain."

His eyes met hers and for a moment she found she couldn't breath. What she saw in them was an emotion she never thought she would see anyone looking at her with. His hand came up to her neck and he pulled her down into a searing kiss. She pressed her hips against his and his other hand wrapped around her waist pressing her closer to him as his tongue pillaged her mouth.

She whimpered wanting to get as close to him as she had been this morning. As if he could read her mind he turned them so they were both on their sides and the hand that had been holding her neck snaked under her tank top. She wrapped her hand under his arm and the other brushed through his hair.

Then someone knocked on her door. She froze torn between lust and embarrassment. She loosened her grip on him shivering as his hand ran down her spin. She let a hole form in her spell and taking a steady breath before she turned her head and called out. "Yeah?"

"Pumpkin, if your feeling better why don't you come down for lunch? It'll be ready in a few minutes." Momster sounded so worried. She slumped defeated in Wyatt's arms.

Cain kissed her forehead. "I'll have her down in ten minutes Emily. She's still a bit shaky."

She heard a thankful sigh on the other side of the door. "No hurry, I don't want her to fall over." She heard her Robomom's retreating footsteps.

Cain kissed the side of her mouth. "Put the spell back up." She complied as he began to kiss her below her jaw. She was forced to tilt her head back as he pulled her up and began to lick the soft skin he found there. She gasped when he wrapped her legs around his waist and stood up. He carried her a few feet to the nearest wall and lowered one of her legs to the floor.

She looked at him thinking they didn't have time to do this without arising suspicion. He just smirked down at her before he raised one leg and pressed his knee between her thighs. She bucked, as the material of her jeans was pulled tight over her. He pushed his knee up and she let out a little gasp pressing down as she grabbed at his shoulders.

Leaning his weight into the wall he wrapped his hands around her waist and began to rock her as his lips found hers. She tightened the leg she still had wrapped around his waist as she felt the newly familiar coil begin to tighten in her. Any sense of shame she may have had was easily pushed away when she caught sight of Wyatt's face.

His eyes were shining with satisfaction as her whimpers and moans increased in volume. His lips made their way to her neck and then down to the swell of her breasts that were exposed by her tank top. She began to arch and whine and he pressed her harder into his leg as she came undone. She slumped, her head falling to rest on his shoulder. She moved her hands from his shoulders to wrap around his neck.

He set her other leg on the ground keeping his arm around her waist so she could regain her balance. As soon as she did he loosened his hold and stepped back so there was space between them. She glanced up mind still in a fog. "What about you?"

He grinned and stole a kiss from her quickly. "That was good for me too Sweetheart. And we don't have time for anything else."

She thought this was unfair to him and it must have showed on her face. He took her by the hand leading her to the door. "Darlin, we can finish this tonight. Right now we have to go be sociable."

She snorted but followed him. Lunch was more fun then she thought it was going to be. Momster and Popsicle told them about the changes that had been happening in Milltown and the surrounding area. She told them she wanted to heal the Papay Fields once they were done with collecting her soul and she decided to help Momster make a cake for later when she glanced out the window.

She saw a patrol car driving up to the house and her mouth dropped open. "That's it! Wyatt get your gun. Apparently you're going to have to shoot him."

Author Note: Leave a review I love them more than chocolate.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own it… I don't own it… ommmmmm

Cain looked up from his plate so fast his neck cracked. The word gun caught his attention like the word bone caught a dogs. "What?"

She turned to him her hand on her hip. "Guess who's back?"

Cain gave the most intricate curse she had ever heard in her entire life. Which was saying something since she hadn't been serving the highest class of customers at the dinner. She snickered at him as he pushed away from the table and went up the stairs to get his best friend. Her Roboparents were looking at him as if he had grown a pair of blue pixie wings.

Popsicle turned to her for an answer. "Peanut?"

She jerked a thump toward the front door. "Officer Gulch wants a hole in his head. I swear this is getting ridicules."

Momster shook her head. "This is not going to end well DG. You can't really be thinking about letting Mister Cain loose on Elmer."

She raised an eyebrow at her foster mother. Yeah, that was her plan to the letter. It wasn't like Cain wasn't going to get anything out of it. He would get his daily dose of protectiveness out of him and Gulch would go away. Her eyes glazed over, she could think of several ways to reward the man come to think about it.

"DG!" She snapped back to the present at Momster's tone. Robomom had her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrow raised. Damn it that was the angry pose. She let her shoulders slump in defeat and headed to the front door to head off the idiot cop.

She opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch pulling herself completely upright and adopting her princess persona. She may not like it much but she'd be damned if she wouldn't put her etiquette lessons to use. Her eyes hardened as Elmer got out of the car and another, older officer got out of the drivers seat.

He brought back up. She immediately wished he hadn't for everyone's sake. The situation had drastically changed in that second. When Cain saw this he was going to flip. This was far too reminiscent of the projection he had been forced to watch while he was in that suit. Her eyes scanned the area… yup… this was bad. Old house, armed and uniformed men, a personal grudge, and a woman he was compelled to protect. Fuck all.

She heard movement behind her and turned to her Robodad in the doorway. "Popsicle you need to keep Cain in the house for a few minutes." The flat tone of her voice made him pause with one foot out the door. She needed to get them out of here before Cain came outside. She went down the stairs and was out on the lawn before he had a chance to respond. She heard the screen door shut behind her.

She'd met the older officer a few times and he had always seemed like a decent enough man. Ignoring Gulch she turned to him. "Can I help you?" Her voice had an edge of steel to it and the older man turned slightly toward Gulch.

"Officer Gulch here tells me he was hit by a man staying here last night. It's illegal to attack an officer, we need to talk to him."

Her lip twisted upward in a grim smile. "Did he tell you he came here out of uniform and when I told him to leave he tried to drag me off the porch forcibly? Or that the man that hit him told him to leave before Gulch attacked him first? I believe self-defense is perfectly legal. Maybe you should arrest him." She pointed to Gulch. "After all he was trespassing and tried to hurt me."

The older man's posture changed immediately. He cocked an eyebrow at the sheriff who was glaring daggers at her. She heard the screen porch open and closed her eyes briefly praying Wyatt would restrain himself.

"Sweetheart, come back to the house." If she hadn't known Cain so well she would have refused. But she heard the underlying panic in his voice and knew his history. She backed away from the two men slowly her eyes narrowed at Elmer. As soon as she was back to the stairs Cain's arm wrapped around her waist and he put her behind him. Thank Ozma the glamour was still on his gun because his hand was twitching toward it.

Cain was wound tighter than a piano wire. His eyes looked like two ice chips as he glared at Elmer. The older man's eyes were darting between the two men before they finally rested on her. Gulch wasn't about to be quiet. "He's coming in for questioning DG. You don't know if you can trust him."

Cain growled low in his throat and she hissed at him. "I trust him more than you could possibly imagine! It's you I have a problem with."

The older cop had had enough. "Elmer, what the hell is going on here?"

"She's being dramatic. Let's just take him in."

Everything about Cain went still except for his hand. She knew what was going on in his head. He didn't know what custody meant on this side but he sure knew what questioning was in the Outer Zone. Nothing about it was pleasant. If that weren't bad enough he also knew that Gulch wanted to take him away from her and in his mind that was not going to happen even if he had to kill both men. She had to diffuse this situation now.

"I'm being dramatic? You're the one that won't go away! I told you I didn't want to marry you and you freaking attacked me! Ever since then you've been harassing me until I could get out of this town! I can't even come home to visit without you stalking me!"

Cain began to back up pushing her toward the house. He didn't want their attention on her. As he moved them back the older man turned to Gulch. "You did what? Elmer get back in the car."

Gulch's face turned beat red. "You can't be serious! You're going to believe them over me?"

The older man's brown eyes took in Wyatt's defensive posture and frozen eyes and turned back to the car. "He's not about to hurt her and I don't want you here when we talk." He gazed at her again. "I'll be back in a few hours, you better be here when I get back."

She jerked her head in understanding and watched the older man get back in the driver's seat after he was sure Elmer was not about to jump back out of the car. The car made a tight turn and drove off. Elmer's was obviously shouting at the other officer who was ignoring him.

She placed a gentle hand on the Tin Man's arm and tried to pull him toward the porch. He didn't move his eyes trained on the dust trail the car left behind. Every muscle in his body was stiff with tension. "Wyatt? Please… come back to the house."

His eyes finally turned back to look at her when she used his first name. She saw more emotions than he usually let show flash across his face before his eyes closed off. She took hold of his hand and led him back to the house shooing her Roboparents in before her. She made him sit on one side of the loveseat and shot her foster parents a pleading glance. Popsicle sighed taking Momster into the kitchen and shutting the door behind them.

She sat down next to Cain and curled into him. He wasn't relaxing and his jaw was clenched, eyes far away. Unsure of what to do she lifted his arm and snuggled under it into his side kissing the underside of his jaw. He let out a breath his arm tightening around her. Her fingers came up and ran light circles on the skin of his arm. "Are you ok?" She asked this softly so he could ignore the question if he wanted to.

His eyes flicked down to her and she saw old fear in them. He bent down kissing her forehead while he set her in his lap. She wrapped an arm around his neck and caressed his face with her free hand. He had a death grip on her hips and waist.

"Wyatt, they won't hurt us here. It's not like when you were in the resistance." She hated having to bring back the memories but he had to know how things worked on this side. "The worst Gulch could do under the law is hold one of us in jail for the day."

"I'm not going to let him do anything with you." His voice was sharp and his grip on her tightened further. She shifted afraid he was going to unintentionally bruise her. As soon a she moved his arms loosened. He sighed. "Sorry, Sweetheart."

"You don't need to be sorry. I'm amazed you didn't shoot them as soon as you saw them. You have way more self restraint than I ever will."

His lip twitched at that and she finally felt his body relax minutely. "That's true."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Gee thanks. I'm glad you have so much faith in me."

He chuckled pressing another kiss to her temple. "I have every faith in you Darlin. Just not unrealistic expectations."

She punched him in the arm. He grunted catching her hand and placing a kiss on her fist eyes warmer now. "I need to teach you how to fight properly. Don't want anyone sneaking up on you if I'm not there."

She tilted her head intrigued by this proposition. No one had bothered to teach her any type of fighting. She thought that was a damn good idea, especially if her magic ran out for some reason. "Really? You'll teach me?"

He smiled grimly. "If you want me to. I think you'd have a mean right hook Sweetheart."

"Cool! When can we start?" She sat up eagerly in his lap but he didn't let her go anywhere.

He snorted at her excitement. "Tomorrow. I believe that man said he was coming back to talk to us later tonight." His body was starting to stiffen again. "What questions should I be ready to answer?"

Crap, she forgot about that. They needed to come up with a background story for Cain pronto and her Roboparents needed to know about it to. She sighed and pushed away from him reluctantly. "Come on let's go make up an identity for you with Momster and Popsicle. They have experience in this field."

It took them about forty-five minutes to make up a new life for Cain. It took her another fifteen to change some of her old drawing paper into a driver's license and passport with her magic. She was absorbed in the process. She hadn't known she could do anything like that before she had tried. She held up the new forged documents proudly. "I am so good."

Cain took the identification from her and studied it critically memorizing the information found on it. She started to question him on the story they had just made up and he answered every question she threw at him without hesitation. He had mad Tin Man skills, that was for sure. Her Roboparents then gave him a swift run down of Otherside facts that he might need and he repeated them back until they heard a car in the driveway.

She braced herself sitting on the kitchen counter as Popsicle led the older officer into the kitchen. Cain was sitting at the table calmly as the cop sat down. The man glanced around and nodded his head to her.

"My names Brian Greene, Mister?"

"Cain." Cain was being civil but clipped.

The old cop sighed and pulled a pad of paper and a pen out from his jacket pocket. Luckily he missed the Tin Man's change in posture when his hand vanished. The cop couldn't see the glamoured gun Wyatt had resting on the table next to his hand. By the time he opened the pad and looked back up Cain had relaxed back into the old wooden chair.

"Alright what happened last night?"

Cain told him briefly leaving nothing out. The officer wrote everything he said down and then regarded him for a long moment. "You've been in law enforcement."

Cain raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?" His tone was slightly amused.

"Only a cop would tell me a story like that. Didn't miss a detail and didn't let emotion figure in. Elmer does know how to make a mess of things." Officer Greene was less then pleased when he said the last part.

She huffed under her breath from her seat on the counter top. Making a mess of things was putting it lightly. The old cop turned to her seriously. "How many tickets has he given you young lady?" There was no malice in his voice only a kind of dour curiosity.

She frowned thinking back. "I would guess about eighteen before I left."

The man was silent for a long minute. "Eighteen. In how many months?"

She eyed him cautiously. Cain's lip was twitching as he watched the man and he tilted his head for her to continue. "Five and a half. I've been gone for two months since then."

"Did you pay them all and how many had you gotten before that?"

"Yes, and none before that."

"And last night he tried to grab you?"

She opened her mouth but Cain's angry rumble was all the answer the man needed. He closed his note pad and placed it back in his jacket along with his pen. "Well Gulch and I are going to have a chat. I'm sorry this wasn't brought to my attention sooner but I understand your hesitance."

He stood up from the table and held out his hand to Cain who shook it firmly. "Between you and me if he gives you any more trouble shoot him in the leg. But if it goes to court I never said that."

Cain smiled grimly at the man. "Understood." His blue eyes flicked over to her. "I won't let him bother her anymore."

The older man nodded at this. "I don't blame you for that. Night folks hope you have a pleasant evening." And with that Officer Greene turned and left the kitchen as Momster showed him out.

She watched his car drive off from the window. "That went well."

Momster walked back in and sat down at the table. "DG, I forgot how busy you kept us while you were away."

She grinned bouncing her feet against the wooden cabinets below her. "You know you love it." Her stomach rumbled loudly and she glared down at it. "Alright I can take a hint. Hey! Let's order pizza!" She missed the cheesy goodness that was pizza.

Cain seemed worried by her sudden excitement. "Should I ask what pizza is?"

Author Note: Ok so my next post might take me an extra day or two to get up. I know I'm sorry! It's midterm time! Tests, and projects, and quizzes oh my! So sorry if it takes me some extra time but I promise I will not abandon the story and I should still have a chapter out by Friday-ish. Keep an eye out and leave me a review!


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Once again I don't own Tin Man.

It turned out Cain loved pizza. Oh, he tried to hide it, but he loved it. Especially the one covered in chicken and tomatoes she ordered for fun. She had to hold back a giggle so he wouldn't stop eating just to prove her wrong. She simply winked at Popsicle when Cain wasn't looking and took a swig of her soda.

This was the most fun she'd had in a while come to think of it. Sure the whole Gulch debacle sucked, and they still had to find four more pieces of her soul but she wasn't stuck in the tower anymore. And no princess lessons? Huge bonus. That and the fact that Cain was so all hers… He caught her staring and smirked.

She smiled coyly at him and started gathering up the dirty plates and empty pizza boxes. Momster stood up to help her when they all heard a muffled boom from the backyard. She dropped a plate in surprise and it shattered on the floor at her feet. Cain was at the window with his gun in his hands in a heartbeat and Popsicle was peering into the darkness from the backdoor.

"What was that?" She hissed her magic flaring in her hand.

She saw Popsicle relax slightly. "Looks like another turbine blew."

She let her magic drop and Cain lowered his gun slightly. He was still on edge from earlier this afternoon. Momster shook her head. "Best go check on in it, DG. I'll take care of the mess."

"Oh-" She gazed down at the shards of ceramics at her feet. "-sorry, Momster."

Her foster mother waved a hand at the back door unconcerned. She gave her a sheepish smile and picked her way out of the pointy mess. Cain and Popsicle followed her out to the now smoking machine and after a quick scan of the field she let her light back out. She coughed waving her hand as the smoke billowed out of the machine.

"Popsicle, you better shut down the whole grid until I figure out what's wrong with these."

"I think you're right Peanut." He walked back toward the main generator next to the house in order shut it down.

She eyed the smoking machine warily. She had never seen two turbines blow this closely together. This reeked of badness. She reached her hand out to remove the cover but pulled it back the moment her fingers grazed it. "Oww! That's really hot!"

She stepped away from it shaking her hand angrily. "There's no way I can get near that unless it cools down."

Cain grunted at her. "How long is that going to take?"

"At least a few hours. Might as well wait till morning so I can see what I'm doing."

She turned back to the house shaking her head annoyed with the machinery. Cain placed his hand on the small of her back as he held the door open for her. She walked back into the kitchen and found that Momster had cleaned up the plate mess in record time. "Where's your dad, DG?"

"He's turning off the generator. It's too dark to see what's wrong with the turbines tonight."

Her Robomom smiled. "Help me clean up in here then."

They heard a clank followed by Popsicle's loud muttering and Cain raised an eyebrow heading back outside. Momster smiled as the door closed behind him and she started to re-gather the pizza boxes. Tossing them in a trash bag under the sink she was completely unprepared for the question that came out of Momster's mouth.

"How long has he been courting you Pumpkin?" She was so startled she smacked her head on the underside of the sink.

"How on Earth did you even know that?" She grumbled rubbing the back of her head. She hoped she wasn't bleeding.

Her foster mother laughed softly turning to take her in. "I've never seen that look in your eye before but I know what it is. You're in love with the Tin Man."

She turned her eyes away unsure of what to say. She had refused to let herself acknowledge that, it would be far to easy for Cain to take his love away from her. Besides he hadn't said anything about love, a future yes, but love? She wasn't sure he was willing to open himself up to that again and she wasn't about to press the issue. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away.

"He's been courting me since he came back from his trip with Jeb." She had turned back to the table to finish clearing the rest of the plates, making sure she didn't destroy any more of them tonight.

"He made you a lovely courting gift." Momster commented.

She placed the dishes in the sink and started the water. She shot a glance at her saying nothing. She waited for her to get to the point, whatever it was.

"How long will you wait before you announce the date?" She reached over and turned the water off. She shook her head slightly because she must have water in her ears or something. What kind of question was that?

"What date?"

Her Robomom just smiled and tilted her head. "For your wedding. If he's courting you seriously you must be getting married soon. Are your parents excited?"

She stared at Momster blankly, then she freaked. "_What!_" She thought her voice might actually be able to shatter glass. Popsicle and Cain chose that moment to walk back inside. Momster's smile fell from her face and both men realized they had picked a terribly bad moment to re-enter the house. She put her palm to her forehead trying to process this information. She decided it would be better to process it on the floor and let her body slide down against the kitchen cabinets.

She heard footsteps approach her and opening her eyes saw the bottom of Popsicle's overalls. "Peanut?"

"I can't believe this! You two _really_ needed to give me a run down on Outer Zone customs before I was sucked up by a tornado!" Oh dear god. She was so out of the loop. She took a deep breath and looked up. Momster was obviously upset that she was upset and Popsicle and Cain were confused.

"Darlin? What's got you in a tizzy this time?" Cain's lip was twitching as he stood gazing down at her.

Sighing she pointed at him. "You and I need to talk." He raised an eyebrow but held his hand out for her and hauled her to her feet. She yanked him out of the room and up the stairs. He tried to protest but she ignored him pulling him into her room. She shut and locking the door behind her, throwing up a silencing spell for good measure.

"Are you done hauling me around now?" Cain sounded partly amused and partly annoyed with her.

She waved frantically at the door. "Is that true?"

Cain raised an eyebrow at her. "Is what true?"

She removed the comb from her hair and holding it between them. "Cain what does this mean? What does it really mean? Cause Momster was talking about wedding dates." It wasn't as if she was angry, exactly, but she didn't like not knowing what was going on. It seemed like all the last two and half months had been were day after day of misunderstandings and cultural barriers. She felt like a stranger in her homeland and an oddity in a world that expected the odd.

Cain leaned back on one leg to regard her. His eyes closed off but she could sense his wheels turning. She threw up her arms in utter frustration and walked farther into her room. She stood in front of her window with her arms crossed still holding the comb. Her thoughts were flying in every direction at once and Cain's silence wasn't helping. She pressed her lips together wishing, not for the first time, that she had grown up knowing who she was.

She saw Cain reflected in the window before he wrapped an arm around her waist and held her against him. He rested his chin on her head and his other hand came up to hold her smaller hand that was clutching the comb. "I don't understand Wyatt." The statement was taut and as tense as her body. "I'm tired of not understanding things."

"I know Sweetheart… We don't have to get married if that's not what you want." His voice was soothing and she allowed her body to relax against him. The hand around her waist began to rub slow circles down to her hip.

"How long do people usually wait to get married after they start courting?" She watched his partial reflection in the window.

He moved his head down so he could kiss the side of her head. "A few months. But royalty is different DG." He paused for a moment. "I would have preferred to spend time with you before I gave you a courting gift but I was worried someone else would move in faster than that."

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "How is royalty different? And who else would want to court me?"

Cain rested his forehead on the crown of her head and started to laugh. The vibrations rocked her body and he hugged her close. "Sweetheart, most of the men in the kingdom are going to be after you. I was worried I'd get back and you'd be planning your wedding to some idiot noblemen. Royalty generally gets married a few weeks after they accept a suitor."

"They want to marry me because they think I'll be queen?" She was now completely annoyed with the entire population of the Outer Zone.

Cain snorted into her hair. "You're a hero DG. You saved the realm from an ancient evil and your young, beautiful, and have magic. The fact that they thought you might be queen was an added incentive."

"I couldn't have done that without help and you know it. You did more to save the O.Z. than I did." In her opinion she'd done relatively little compared to the men and women involved in the resistance. Her stomach knotted and her body went rigid again. "I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't love me for me. Do I need to worry about O.Z. style Gulches?"

Cain rumbled in his chest and began to kiss her neck. "No, Sweetheart. If you want people to know I'm yours they won't bother you. Once you make a choice they have to respect it."

She arched her neck so he could kiss her properly. "Mine?" Her breath hitched when his fingers caught the edge of her sweater and began to pull it off her his knuckles brushing her bare skin as it came off her.

His mouth came up to her ear and he began to whisper to her again. "All yours DG… Are you mine?"

Her breathing hitched at his question. How he managed to make her quiver by just talking to her was crazy. Her mind quickly processed his question and found it to be safe to answer. "Yes, Wyatt."

He growled approval at her admission and tugged the knitted material up over her rib cage. She raised her arms and he removed the garment from her completely letting it drop to the floor next to the window. His hands returned to her waist and he turned her around to face him. His hands spanned her waist and he pulled her backward toward the bed.

He sat down pulling her down on top of him so she was straddling his lap. One of his hands left her waist and ran up her back. She shuddered rocking her hips against him as her hands came up to unbutton his shirt. Whoever put this many buttons on shirts should be punished. His head had come down to her throat and he was trailing open mouth kisses down the column of her neck with agonizing slowness.

She defeated the last button removing the shirt and with a grin pressed her body forward knocking him backward on the bed. He grunted in surprise but she leaned over him pressing her lips to his before he could say anything. A hand moved down to her thigh and squeezed it and another tried to hold her neck. She wriggled away from it deciding she had held her curiosity in check long enough.

She kept her hips on his for the moment and began to explore his neck and chest, tracing the scares she found as she went. His breathing quickly became erratic as she nipped, licked, or kissed any part of him she pleased. He had both hands on her thighs by this point and was pressing her down onto him in near desperation. "Sweetheart, are you done playing yet?" His voice was low and gruff and it sent a wonderful feeling of power through her.

She slid back up his body making sure to press herself against him as she went. Kissing the underside of his jaw she worked her way up to his earlobe where she pressed her nose against the soft skin she found there. Her hand trailed up behind her brushing across the short hair on the other side of his head. He growled at her and she grinned as she pressed another teasing kiss against the side of his face. There was the growly Tin Man she'd been searching for.

He felt her smile and the grip on her hips tightened. One of his warm hands flew up and unclasped her bra before he sat them back up. "Very cute DG." He yanked the material off her body and stood them both up. He kissed her hard as he unfastened her jeans and her arms wrapped around his neck as her feet hit the floor. "Back on the bed." He ordered as he pulled his face away from hers.

She blinked up at his sudden personality shift and his blue eyes glittered. His hand wrapped around her neck and he brought his mouth to her ear. "Curiosity killed the cat DG. Now, get back on the bed." Her eyes widened and she sat on the edge of the bed scooting back from him.

He didn't let her get far. He caught hold of the top of her jeans and tugged them off her body catching her panties as he went. As soon as they were off her he yanked off his own pants and grabbing her ankle pulled her back to him. He smirked at her and placing her ankle over his shoulder allowing her to wrap her other leg around his waist. He pressed down into her as his knees rested on the edge of the bed. She gasped clawing at the blankets as he leaned over her using his body weight to increase the pressure of his thrust.

His arms came down to rest on either side of her body and he lay still on top of her for a moment as she panted. Her leg tightened around his waist and she looked at him in desperation. Why the hell wasn't he moving? He was watching her struggle for composure beneath him with interest. "Was that fun for you Sweetheart?"

She whimpered trying to move or get him to. He had her completely pinned in this unbelievably wonderful position and he wasn't doing anything. This was cruel! She dug her nails into his arms locking her eyes on his lust filled blue ones. He just watched her raising an eyebrow. Shit, he had asked her a question.

"Yes." She hissed.

He smiled. "Good, this will be too." Then he started to move inside of her and she figured she would answer any question he ever asked her again if he didn't stop. She moaned as he stretched her leg farther and managed to move more deeply in her. He grunted and twisted his hips as he pressed back into her. She let out a strangled cry unable to do anything other than grip his arms more tightly as he drove her further toward the edge.

She started to whimper his name and he leaned down biting the place where her neck met her shoulder. She convulsed her world falling apart around her and he let out his own pleased moan as he let go of her neck. They lay tangled and gasping for an immeasurable amount of time before he lowered her leg and moved them both fully onto the narrow bed.

He had her spooned against him as he tried to even out his breathing. She twined her fingers with his asking herself if she actually wanted an answer to the question she was about to ask. She figured she did. "Wyatt, do you want to marry me?"

Author Note: Leave me one! You know I love em!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I've run out of creative ways to say I don't own Tin Man.

He nearly choked on the air he was trying to fill his lungs with. He let out a strange barking laugh as his arm tightened around her middle. "No DG, I decided to make you a courting gift and now have you wrapped naked against me for purely instructional purposes. After all, someone had to teach you about Outer Zone customs."

Her eye twitched. Wyatt Cain was not allowed to use sarcasm, he'd obviously been hanging out with her to long. She was a bad influence on him. She threw her elbow backward at his ribs but she didn't have enough room to work up any momentum. He snorted at her pathetic attempt at bodily harm apparently deciding to investigate the bruise he put on her shoulder.

"Wyatt, I'm serious! Does Jeb know about this?" She started squirming but he held onto her tighter kissing the bruise and throwing one of his legs over her hips. He hummed in amusement at her struggles. She huffed, these were important questions!

"Of course Jeb knows. I had to tell him who I was making a courting gift for when we were traveling." He said this somewhat distractedly as his fingers had come up to move her hair away from her neck.

She stopped wriggling feeling nervous. What if Jeb was not happy with his father for this? She did not want to mess with their relationship after everything they'd been through. "And he was ok with it?" Her voice so didn't sound normal.

Cain's hand paused and she felt his face come down to rest on the pillow right behind her head. He moved his leg off her so he could flip her over to face him. "Are you worried Jeb doesn't approve of you?" He was trying not to laugh; she could see it in his eyes.

She didn't think this was funny. "Yes, I don't want him angry with you after everything that's happened. I'm hardly worth that." She looked him in the eye when she said this although it was difficult.

He stroked her face his eyes soft. "The only thing Jeb asked was why I didn't say anything to you before I left. Then he told me I was a damn fool and would deserve it if you ran off and fell for someone else while I was gone."

She snorted softly searched his blue eyes but for once they weren't trying to hide anything. She nodded almost imperceptibly relaxing as he continued to trace the planes of her face. His other arm held her closer and she felt her eyes start to droop. He kissed her lips gently before he pulled the blanket over them. "We can talk about marriage once we get your soul back inside you Sweetheart. I don't want you to run off because you think we have to get married. I want you to be sure its what you want."

She thought that was awfully good of him. She was now fairly suspicious that he was no longer following any sort of traditions he had grown up with in order to keep her happy. That calculating look had appeared on his face once too often in the last few days. If what he had said about royal marriages was true they should have started making wedding arrangements the day after she started wearing his gift. For a man who spent the large majority of his life enforcing the law or at least fighting for what he thought was right this must be well out of his comfort zone. She fell asleep feeling extremely grateful that he wasn't pushing for anything.

She jerked awake shivering an hour before dawn with images of the ice palace pervading her mind. Sometime in the night she had ended up spooned back up against Cain. He was sleeping quietly behind her his arm limp over her hips. Even with his body and the blanket she felt cold seeping into her bones. Taking a deep breath she lifted his arm as gently as possible and slipped off the bed.

She dressed in the warmest cloths she could find silently and pressed her hand around the lock to muffle the noise of the latch as she opened it and slipped out the door. Padding down the stairs in her socks she headed to the kitchen hoping some coffee would warm her up. She dug around the cabinets with shaking hands until she found filters and set the machine up quickly.

As it started to percolate she walked into the living room and grabbed her jacket off the hook by the door and yanked it on over the baggy sweatshirt she had found. Then a stroke of genius hit her and she returned to the kitchen and removed her socks tossing them in the microwave. She set the machine to toasty warm and watched the glass door carefully to make sure they didn't catch on fire while they cooked.

The microwave beeped at her and she snatched the socks out pleased that her plan had worked. She sat at one of the tables' chairs and tugged the warm material over her icy toes. She sighed resting her feet at the edge of the seat and wrapping her arms around her legs as she watched the coffee pot. Another chill ran down her spine and she rested the side of her head on her knees sleepily.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she waited for the coffee. The machine was burbling softly and it masked the sound of Wyatt's soft footfalls. He placed a hand on her leg and she nearly fell out of the chair she was so startled. He caught her before she could hurt herself and she glared at him. "Why must you sneak up on me? I have more than enough people making me paranoid, I don't need you to help."

His sleepy eyes sparked with amusement for a moment. Then his hand came up to finger the material of her jacket. "What are you doing Darlin?"

"Making coffee. I'm cold."

His eyebrows came together. "You weren't warm in bed?"

She shook her head. "I feel like I was dipped in ice water. I thought drinking something warm might help." She glanced back to the coffeepot as another chill caught her. Cain began to rub his hands up and down her arms using friction to warm her up.

The machine finally buzzed and she pushed him back gently so she could stand up. Snatching a cup she poured the hot liquid into it and wrapped her cold fingers around it. The mug was warm and she sipped the scalding liquid not really caring that it burned her tongue. The hot liquid ran down her throat and settled in her stomach driving at least some of the cold away. She leaned her back against the counter pleased but still shivering.

Her Tin Man motioned for her to follow him as he walked into the living room. She was too sleepy to protest and one mouthful of coffee didn't have enough caffeine to wake her up that fast. She trotted after him cup firmly clenched in her hands so she didn't spill anything.

He sat on the couch grabbing the blanket off the back of it as she sat her coffee on a small table and coiled up next to him. He tossed the blanket over her and his arm snuck under it and her cloths to tickle her skin as she pressed into him. "Sorry I woke you up."

He yawned leaning back. "It's fine Darlin."

She rested her head on his shoulder looking up at him. He was cute all sleep rumpled. "I miss your hat."

He blinked down at her as he ran his free hand through his hair absentmindedly. She grinned at his expression reaching up to tug at the short hair at the back of his neck. "We need to get you back to the O.Z. and into your regular cloths Tin Man."

He rolled his eyes before he went mischievous and rumpled her hair in every direction. "Hey! Not cool!" She smacked his hand away but it just snuck back as soon as she began to straighten her hair back in place. "Meh!" She retaliated going for his ticklish neck.

He chuckled as she hit a sensitive spot then grabbed her wrapping her in a bear hug and trapping her on his lap. He kissed her cheek and she huffed trying to blow hair out of her eyes. "Well, I hope you're happy. I'm now blind! You've only yourself to blame."

He gave her a full-blown laugh at that, repositioning his arms so she was still pinned with one while he could brush her hair back with his free hand. "Can't have that. I-"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a metallic blast. She found herself on the floor with his body covering hers protectively and a shield of white light surrounding both of them. She lay on the ground silently listening with her magic as he listened with his other senses. Adrenaline tore through her body and woke her up faster than any amount of coffee could.

"What the hell?" He was growling his eyes scanning the room quickly. "Was that another turbine?"

"That's not possible. Popsicle turned the grid off, they have no power to blow up with."

They heard footsteps banging down the stairs and he raised himself up enough to see past the couch. She refused to lower her shield. Momster and Popsicle flew into the living room panicked when they saw them huddled on the floor surrounded by her magic.

"What happened?" Momster asked as Popsicle headed to the door. The first rays of sunlight streamed in as he opened it.

He swore walking out on the porch. Cain got off her slowly still watchful and she waited another few moments before she lowered her shield. Popsicle stuck his head back in as she sat up using the couch to haul herself to her feet. "One of the turbines looks like a bomb went off in it."

Her eyebrows came together in confusion. "But the powers off." She scrambled to her feet grabbing her shoes and shoving her feet into them before she walked out onto the porch with Wyatt close behind her.

The closest windmill to the house was indeed billowing smoke. Pieces of metal were scattered out in a ragged looking circle around the place where the turbine used to be. She stood at the edge of the shrapnel kicking a screw that was next to her foot. "So, I'm thinking I should look at these now."

Popsicle shook his head bewildered. "I didn't think it was possible for these to blow up."

She narrowed her eyes. "That's because its not. Something has been messing with my machines." Her thoughts stopped then rewound. "My machines…" She breathed.

Her magic flared in her hands. She listened intently her eyes scanning the fields around her. She felt it snapping at her inside the now destroyed turbine. It was way pissed off. Her eyes flicked to Popsicle and Momster who was standing on the porch with her arms crossed. "Popsicle go back and stay with Momster. This thing doesn't like machines much."

He glanced at her but obeyed. As soon as he was next to her foster mother she shot a spell at them. It made a bright glittering sphere around them that pulsated with her magic. She wasn't about to let anything get at them, especially a piece of her that was this angry. She walked toward the turbine but stopped when she felt her soul sparking in rage.

She tilted her head trying to think of the best way to go about this. She didn't want to go on another mad dash around the farm, especially if this thing was violent. She turned slightly to Cain. "Wyatt… What would you do to calm me down if I were royally pissed off?"

He gave her a strange look. "Why?"

She pointed toward it. "Because this thing is about to blow a gasket. Literally. I've hardly ever remember feeling this angry before."

Cain glanced back at the central pile of twisted metal then back at her. He sighed then indicated that she should move closer to it a he walked up next to her. He stopped her in front of the pile and she felt her soul begin to hiss as he crouched down next it.

"Wyatt, I don't think it likes you."

He grunted his eyes turning to two pools of blue ice as he glared down at the remains of the turbine. "That's enough out of you. Come out right now." Oh… well that might work. The Tin Man was here and giving very direct orders. Considering he was the only one she had ever even remotely listened to in high stress situations this was a better plan than she could come up with.

She placed a softly glowing hand on the nape of his neck and focused so he could feel what she did. His shoulder blades twitched but he didn't pull away from the assault of anger that hit him. "That wasn't a request! Out! Now!" His voice rang with absolute authority as if defiance was laughable.

Her soul spat in rage slithering out of the wreckage to confront the man that would dare to order it about. It shone the same way as the last two but was moving around like a snake. It reared up to regard Cain swaying left and right just out of his reach. He raised one eyebrow unimpressed.

"Get back in her." He jerked his thumb at her staring intently at the angry little light before him.

It tried to intimidate him striking at his face with amazing speed but falling short of actually touching him. The Tin Man remained motionless at this display. She felt it judging him its anger abating somewhat. It felt… respect for the Tin Man although it was still being sullen. It began to sway again more cautiously than before. It's little head tilted and she swore it noted something about the man but for the life of her she had no clue what it was. Then it moved past him watchfully heading for her.

She knelt down extending her hand to it and it hesitated only briefly until Cain snapped at it. "In!"

It hissed once more before slithering onto her hand and coiling around her wrist. It flashed and seeped back into her as she swayed. She managed to sit down before the memories crashed over her and eyes squeezed closed. It wasn't as bad this time and she felt Cain holding her upright against him. She sighed after a long few minutes and sat back.

"I'm getting sick of that... Nice job by the way." She gave him a weak smile and winked. "Only you could boss my soul around and get away with it."

He snorted and helped her get to her feet. She lowered the spell that was around her Roborents as she leaned against her Tin Man. He helped her up to the porch and sat her down on one of the wicker chairs. She relaxed letting the early morning sun warm her back.

Momster came up to stand next to her running an affectionate hand over her hair. "Is that all of them on this side Pumpkin?"

"I think so." Then she grinned. Score! "That means we can get out of Kansas!"

Cain shook his head his lips twitching at her obvious enthusiasm.

Author Note: All right new chappy for you lot. I hope to have another one up by Tuesday night but I can't make any promises as my test taking marathon continues. I swear this whole class thing ruins the college experience… At any rate please leave me a review as they make me giggle with joy.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I love Tin Man but sadly don't own it. I'm hoping Cain will soon defect to my side but he's damn loyal to a cause ya know?

Ok, so they couldn't leave immediately. She still had to fix the two turbines her soul had decided to blow up. Honestly, she was annoyed it had been that destructive. The last windmill was in a bunch of shiny little pieces all over the lawn. Popsicle had gone into town to go buy more parts so she could rebuild the thing. It would take all afternoon, and that was if she worked fast.

She tossed a wrench back in her toolbox as she finished with the turbine that had been welded closed the night before. At least this one had been easy enough to fix. Her soul had just melted the top on and fried some wires. She had it up and running in twenty minutes. Knowing Popsicle he would probably be gone until lunchtime. He liked to peruse the small town tool store and was friends with the owner. Go socialization protocols.

She walked back to the porch and set her toolbox on the stairs before she headed over to help Cain and Momster pick up the sad remains of the turbine. Bending over she began to collect twisted bits of metal throwing them in some old boxes Momster had gotten out of the shed.

Cain picked up a melted screw and was eyeing it critically. "I don't think the turbine did anything to deserve this."

She grinned and Momster started to laugh as they worked their way around the lawn. "It could have been worse." Her Robomom commented as she gathered up a handful of flayed wires. "That piece could have gotten loose in Milltown."

She shuddered. "That's not even funny Momster. I'd love to know why my soul separated into different emotional states. I'm not even sure I want to know what's next." She tossed the last visible rivet into the box and straightened looking around the ground for anything she may have missed.

Cain and Momster appeared to be done as well. Cain picked up the bigger of the boxes and she grabbed the other one. They deposited them on the porch stairs next to her toolbox. At least the cleaning had warmed her up. She shrugged out of her jacket tossing it over the boxes and up onto one of the wicker chairs.

As she stretched her arms over her head Momster walked into the house. "I'll start breakfast Pumpkin, you're going to need your energy to open a travel storm."

She wrinkled her nose in distaste. They really needed to come up with a better way to slip between worlds. Maybe she should ask Glitch about it now that his brain was back in his head. She bet he could come up with something that didn't resemble a swirling vortex of doom.

Cain took hold of one of her arms and started to drag her off to the side of the house. She squeaked indignantly as she spun around and tripped after him. "Hey! Where are we going? I want breakfast!"

"I thought you wanted to learn to fight?"

Her whole demeanor changed. She stopped trying to pull her arm away and started skipping happily next to him. His eyes flicked over her and an amused grin flicked over his face. This was going to be great!

An hour later she decided learning to fight was less fun than she thought it was going to be. In fact it was damn hard. He kept repositioning her feet and telling her to keep balanced. Whenever she insisted that she was indeed balanced he would push her lightly and knock her off her feet.

The fourth time this happened he stood over her rolling his eyes. "DG, you need to keep your feet spread farther apart. Your stance is too narrow; this is a fight not a dance. Your not meant to look pretty doing this."

She tried to kick him in the shin but he turned his leg and pivoted slightly nudging her gently with his other foot in her neck. "You also need to remember to keep your hands up to protect your face and neck or someone's going to knock you out before you know what happened."

She grumbled as she got back to her feet ignoring the dirt that covered her cloths. She positioned herself making sure her feet were spread as wide as her shoulders and her knees were bent slightly. He gave her a once over and tapped her hip gently with his hand. She sighed and twisted it slightly as he showed her earlier coming to the conclusion that this involved a lot more thinking than it should have.

He snorted at her obvious frustration with herself. "Be patient Darlin. Your body has to learn to act this way on its own. It's going to take a few weeks for muscle memory to kick in. Then you won't have to think about this so much."

"A few weeks? Are you kidding me?" And here she thought this was going to be easy.

He shook his head. "It's not all about running straight in and relying on blind luck. Sometimes it's best to have a plan. Or at least some skill to fall back on."

"Yeah, yeah. I think you're just envious of my mad stick wielding skills."

In response he kicked her feet out from under her. She hit the ground for the fifth time with a small sad sound. "Yes, that and your very poor stance. Now get up and try again. If you get it right I'll show you how to punch."

She hauled herself back up and tried again… and again… and again. By the time Wyatt showed her how to hit she was pretty sure her whole back was bruised but she wasn't about to say anything about it. She was pretty sure he'd stop his instruction if he thought he was being rough and she didn't think this was going to be at all helpful unless he was realistic about it.

At least she was better at hitting than she was at standing. He actually smiled when she hit his hand so hard he had to shake it to get the feeling back into it. "Good, Sweetheart. That's enough for today. Let's go get something to eat."

She pouted. She was hot and sweaty and tired but she had just gotten the hang of this. He pushed the hair back from her face with a small smile and planted a kiss on her lips. She tilted her head back moving closer to him. His arm came around her in order to bring her closer to him and he sighed softly against her mouth.

She leaned against him and looked up at him silently. He kissed her nose then let her go with an unreadable expression. She crinkled her forehead as he turned back to the house but he took her hand and led her through the backdoor and into the kitchen.

Momster had food laid out on the table and all of it had gone cold. She picked up two plates and tossed the leftovers on them before heading over to the microwave. She set one of the plates inside setting the timer. She began hunting for drinks as Cain stood looking at the metal box as it hummed his eyebrow raised.

She snatched two sodas out of the fridge and grinned at him. "It's reheating the food Cain."

He glanced up at her. "How?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"You don't know?"

She gave him an incredulous look. "Do you know anything about Alchemy? Or how to translate the language of the ancients? I'm not all knowing on Other Side technology."

He snorted. "Fair enough." Then the microwave beeped and he leaned back slightly.

She opened the door and handed him the plate placing the second one inside and setting the timer. He was inspecting the food critically prodding it gently with his finger. "Cain, the microwave makes it warm it doesn't poison it. Eat it before it gets cold again."

He sat at the table… not eating. She tilted her head at him. Then she looked at the food. "What's the matter with it?"

"Nothing."

She stopped herself from smacking her head on the counter. How she loved the one-word answers. "Then why aren't you eating?"

He crossed his arms leaning back in his chair watchfully. His scrutiny was starting to maker her feel uncomfortable. "You haven't eaten yet."

"Uhuh. My food's not done."

He chuckled. "Sweetheart, I'm not going to eat without you at the table."

"Ok. Should I even ask or simply accept this as yet something else I should be aware of." Maybe there was a book she could find about this in one of the libraries when they got back.

"You're family DG. Family eats together or not at all." She said nothing but her brain was whirling around that bit of information. She did a quick mental inventory of every meal she had had on their journey hunting for the emerald. She couldn't remember ever having eaten a meal unless all of them had been eating together. When they had any food to eat that was. And she was family?

She opened her mouth to ask a question but the microwave went off. She took the plate and sat down at the table picking up a fork and Cain gave her one of his satisfied smiles as they started to eat. She didn't have time to ask him about that particular quirk as Popsicle walked in a few bites into the meal. Eager to leave she scarffed down the rest of her meal and practically ran outside with the new parts.

As she predicted it took her well over six hours to rebuild the turbine. When she was finally done she figured they only had an hour or two of sunlight left. All the better, she didn't want to call up a travel storm until it was full dark. She didn't want to arouse suspicion from the locals unless it was absolutely necessary. As she stood she heard her knees crack and reached down to rub feeling back into her tingling legs only to leave large grease smears all over her jeans. Damn it.

She headed back to the house and hopefully a warm shower. The second she walked in with her toolbox Cain looked up from his seat on the couch and chuckled at her. She frowned and looked down at herself. Her shoulders slumped in defeat; no one would ever believe she was a princess at this moment. Between her baggy cloths, the dirt she had been knocked down in during her fighting lesson, and the grease she was now caked in she was sure she barely even appeared human.

"Laugh it up Tin Man at least I got the turbine fixed." She sounded more tired than sarcastic as she headed up the stairs. Walking into the bathroom she stripped off her cloths and turned on the shower waiting for the water to heat up. She stayed under the spray of water until it started to cool. Stepping out she wrapped herself in an old blue towel and twisted her neck to inspect her back. She grimaced when she saw dark purple splotches peaking out from under her towel.

Hopefully she could get changed before Cain noticed and threw a hissy fit. She opened the bathroom door a crack and listened for voices. She heard soft murmuring downstairs and grinned making a dash for her bedroom. She opened the door and backed into the room locking the door and letting out a soft sigh of relief. Cool, that had been easier than…

"All our things are packed Sweetheart. I put some of your Outer Zone cloths out for you to get changed into on the bed. We can leave as soon as it's dark."

She turned around before he could see her back cursing every deity she could name from either side. He was in his tan pants, vest, and wearing his holster waiting for her. She put on a false smile and trotted to the bed reaching for the cloths. His Tin Man senses kicked in before she could make it. He snatched her hand as she went for her shirt and pulled her straight. She held onto the towel and gave him her wide blank stare. He frowned at her his eyes narrowing.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

His eyes flashed as he spotted the lie. "DG." His voice had gone level and his ice blue eyes were glinting in the late afternoon light streaming through the windows. His grip on her wrist tightened. She rolled her eyes and cast a silencing spell around the room.

"I got a bruise when we were practicing and I didn't want you to freak out alright?"

He relaxed slightly the anger in his eyes diminishing although he didn't let go of her. "Where?"

She twisted her arm but he used her movement to swing her around and inspect her body. "Cain, it's not a big deal." She huffed. "Let go!"

Too late. She heard him growl and felt him freeze when he spied the edge of the bruise above her towel. He tugged the material off her despite the grip she had on it and she let out a loud grumble of annoyance. He hadn't moved in far too long and she was feeling distinctly uncomfortable standing naked in front of him when he wasn't looking at her in a way that made her knees want to go weak.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" His voice suddenly snapped at her. She kept her back straight but turned her face so she could see over her shoulder. His eyes came up to lock with hers. They were blazing at her; which only caused her own temper to rise.

"Because you would have stopped teaching me!" Her voice was as hot as his. "I'm not a porcelain doll Wyatt! Despite what you seem to think sometimes!" She finally yanked her wrist out of his hand and snatched up her shirt. She understood his need to protect her and what motivated him to overreact when her safety was involved but he needed to get past this at least to some extent. She wasn't a child that needed to be coddled and she wasn't going to let him treat her like one.

He came up behind her taking the shirt out of her hands and tossing it back on the bed. She refused to turn around and look at him as his hands settled on her hips. He kissed her neck as one of his hands came down to rub her between her legs. She jerked backward into him surprised, but she was still angry and tried to move away.

He held her close as he sighed against her skin. "I know your not helpless Sweetheart. I don't like to see you hurt and I really don't like it when you keep it from me."

She could understand his reasoning she supposed. "Fine no secrets then, but you can't spaz out every time I get a bruise. I don't think you'll be able to teach me anything unless you mean it."

He kissed her again as his hand ran back through the tight curls between her legs. She sucked in a breath as he hit her clit. "Clever girl." Then his hand moved away and she wanted to kill him. A whimper of protest left her before she could stop it and he chuckled against her neck nipping her shoulder gently.

"No time right now Sweetheart. I promise we'll take our time once we're back home." She sighed as his fingers traced small patters over her stomach before he stepped away from her. She grabbed her cloths and dressed as fast as she could before she decided to turn around and jump him. She had to admit she felt better in her O.Z. garments even if they weren't jeans.

She turned picking up her pack and started to head to the door when Wyatt grabbed the back of her neck and gave her a hard kiss before he let her go. She blinked up at him slightly dazed as he pushed her to the door. She grinned as they walked past her dresser and she snatched up his hat. She placed it firmly on his head and nodded. "Much better. Now all you need is your duster. Where'd you leave it?"

He snorted as they walked down the stairs. "All you need to worry about is that travel storm Sweetheart."

He really should have taken Elmer Gulch into consideration before making that particular statement.

Author Note: Finally a new chapter! Sorry about that but at least I told you it would take a while right? The next one won't take me nearly as long so eave e a review they make me write faster.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I don't own it ….yet… devious plot is forming…

They set their packs at the base of the stairs and collapsed on the couch. Wyatt pulled her against his side and she leaned against him happy they didn't have to hide anything from her foster parents. At least Momster seemed to approve of the Tin Man, not that it would matter to her what anyone else thought. She linked her arm with his and rested her head on his shoulder twining their fingers.

She saw him looking down at her out of the corner of her eye a small smile playing over his face. He sighed in contentment squeezing her hand and letting his body relax as they waited for the sun to sink under the horizon. Momster and Popsicle joined them soon after and they sat in companionable silence for a while as she began to gather her magic. She would need a nap once they got to the O.Z. because this was going to drain her.

As the last rays of light vanished she sighed in a grateful kind of way and sat up straight. "Everybody ready to go? Got everything? All the chores done?"

Popsicle grinned at her. "Ok Peanut! Grab your stuff. We can leave."

She sprang to her feet with manic energy and snatched up her pack. She could hear one feminine sigh of annoyance and two male chuckled behind her. She chose to ignore all of these grabbing her jacket off its peg. She shrugged it on and pushed the screen door open shifting her weight from one foot to the other impatiently as Popsicle locked the door.

They walked out into one of their fields as the sky darkened further. By the time they were far enough out she figured it was safe to call up a storm. She glanced around then at her Roborents and Cain. "You guys ready?"

Momster smiled at her and nodded. Cain grunted but pointed to his holster. "Might want to make this visible again before we leave. Don't want anyone to give us any trouble when we slip over."

She reached out and rested her hend on the gun and let the illusion fall away from it. She cracked one eye open and gave Popsicle a questioning look. "I can see it Peanut."

She nodded pleased with herself and turned her attention to the sky. "Milltown here we come!" She called her light to her hands and started the spell splitting her focus between calling and controlling a storm and picturing Milltown in her minds eye. She felt the wind begin to pick up and soon a twister was roaring twenty feet in front of them.

Her hands pulsed with light and she grinned turning back to Wyatt who was gazing up at the twister holding his hat in one hand impressed with her work. She was about to turn back to the storm when her eyes caught movement off to her right past her shoulder. Her face paled and she felt herself losing control of the raging storm behind her. It started to veer dangerously off and Cain's head came down to look at her.

She screamed in anger and fear. "Elmer, get the hell out of here!" Her hands started to dim as Cain whipped around drawing his gun on the cop. But the sound of the storm had allowed Gulch to get far to close to her. He grabbed her upper arm roughly dragging her backward toward her old home.

"Let me go!" She snarled at him. Her focus was slipping out of her control and the tornado was starting to become erratic tearing large chunks out of the ground. If she didn't regain focus it could destroy her house, not to mention the nearby town.

Gulch continued to drag her back trying to stare the Tin Man down and keep a grip on her. "Are you out of your mind! That storms going to kill you!"

"Elmer! You don't know what your doing! _Let me go now!_" She began to struggle violently bending her body toward the ground in a desperate attempt to get away from him. She heard him curse and wrap his other arm around her waist lifting her up as she kicked and screamed.

Wyatt ran at them and she came to an unfortunate conclusion. Her magic was about to run out and the damn idiot had seen too much. She let the fight go out of her and yelled over the wind. "Fine! You wanna mess with my life? Then get ready for one hell of a ride!"

Cain's eyes widened when her hands burned more brightly and his head turned back to the twister. She heard him swear and holster his gun as she used her magic to forcefully pull the storm straight into their path. Momster and Popsicle were engulfed and she heard Gulch let out a yell and start to heave backward. She let her bodyweight drop to the ground and he tumbled down after her.

As the twister barreled toward them she sent one last pulse of magic out and hoped like hell it would be enough to get them back to Milltown. She felt herself swept up and Gulches arm tighten around her in terror as they were transported to the Outer Zone.

She hit the ground rolling and bounced out of the man's arms. She skidded to a halt in dry caked earth and yelped from the impact and the nasty snap she felt rock through her left wrist. She lifted her head as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Elmer was lying dazed ten feet from her and Cain was staggering to his feet jamming his hat back on his head and taking in their surroundings. Her Roboparents were trying to untangle themselves from a messy heap under an old dead tree.

Oh holy fuck. She pushed her good arm under her stomach and pushed up to her knees fighting back a wave of nausea. They had made it back to the O.Z. but not Milltown. She'd overshot the destination and they were now smack in the middle of the Papay Fields… with Elmer Gulch. And judging by the amount of pain that was lancing up her arm she was pretty sure her wrist was broken.

She sat still on her knees trying not to make any noise as her ears strained for any sign of a runner pack. She glanced around and spotted her bag a foot or so from her and gave an internal sigh of relief. She still had the compass.

Popsicle groaned as he pushed Momster gently to her feet. "That was even more unpleasant than the first trip back over."

"Quiet!" Cain's voice was sharp and he had his gun out as his eyes darted around the orchard. Elmer decided that he didn't want to be quiet.

"What in the name of God just happened! Where the hell are we!" Staggering to his feet and brushing dirt from his uniform he had obviously reached the point of panic. His eyes landed on her and he made to get in her space. Cain had him against a tree with his gun at his head in less than a second. The rage in his eyes was like nothing she had ever seen before. When she had let him out of the iron maiden he had been exuding a cold kind of detachment. Scary yes, but she could stand up to it. This was not even close to the near homicidal bent he had been on back then.

When he started talking to Gulch his voice was deadly soft and held none of the teasing it had when he had been schooling him on her porch. "You are going to be quiet and do what I say or I'm going to kill you. You aren't in Kansas anymore sheriff. One wrong move and you'll never make it back, do you understand?"

The cop actually wilted under his gaze. Even he could see that the Tin Man wasn't bluffing. He jerked his head as much as he could to indicate he got the message. She wanted to be sure Elmer didn't decide to grow a pair when Cain wasn't looking.

"Wyatt, take his gun." Her voice was hoarse and pain filled though she tried to cover it up. She saw his jaw clench as he pulled Gulch's gun from its holster and stepped away from him. He walked over to Popsicle and handed him the cop's gun before he turned to look at her. She still hadn't moved and was cradling her arm against her chest. She winced remembering her promise about the whole not lying about being hurt thing although she thought it was fairly obvious.

"I think my wrist is broken."

Cain cursed again and crouched down in front of her holstering his gun. She could tell he was still angry from how stiffly he was holding himself but he was terribly gently when he reached his hands out to take her arm. Her foster parents moved toward her concern on their faces. Wisely Elmer stayed next to the tree where Cain had threatened to kill him.

The Tin Man rolled her jacket sleeve back and she bit her lip as he brushed her wrist. She didn't need to see the swelling or the odd angle it was at for her suspicions to be confirmed, the pain told her everything. His eyes snapped up to hers in concern and she could see him thinking fast. She knew what he needed to know.

"If you can make a sling for it I'll be fine till we can get out of here. I'm not entirely sure the Papay remember me and my magic's nearly gone."

He clenched his jaw and his eyes flashed toward Gulch but he reached to her bag and tugged it open. He withdrew a shirt from it and made it into a secure sling as fast as he could. She had to squeeze her eyes shut and bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming when he jostled her. She would rather not get eaten today on top of everything else, thanks all the same. Cain finished and wiped a hand across her cheek his thumb picking up a single tear that had somehow managed to escape her. She gave him a strained smile and he helped her to her feet.

She swayed slightly sick from the magic drain and the pain but gave herself a mental slap and straightened her spine. She bent down to pick up her pack but Cain grabbed it away from her. "I don't think so Princess. You're going to have enough fun walking, let alone running with a busted wrist. He can carry it for you." He jerked his head toward the cop.

Gulch was still looking around in confusion. Cain pulled the compass from her pack and placed it gently in his; he had no faith in Gulch at all, and was about to close it when he paused. His eyes darted up to her and his lip twitched as he removed the puzzle box from the bottom of her bag. She gave him a one-shouldered shrug and pointed toward his pack. She had no faith in Gulch either come to think of it. He put the box in his own pack and tossed hers to the cop who caught it on instinct.

"Let's get down the road before a hunter pack finds us." Cain started off in what she assumed was the right direction. She walked after him a silent litany of curses ringing in her head every time she took a step. Her wrist was throbbing and she was pretty damn sure it was going to have to be set when they were safe. She missed Raw and his healing gift.

Gulch hissed. "What's a hunter pack?"

She gave him a twisted smile. "Trust me you don't want to know." He looked terrified. She didn't care and she also didn't care if that made her a bad person at the moment. Pay back was a bitch. They walked in silence for over an hour before she heard their eerie calls. She was grateful it had taken them that long to be noticed, her magic had rebounded a little.

Cain reached for his gun as Popsicle did the same. She felt an odd sense of calm wash over her. "Don't do that. I don't want any of my subjects killed tonight." Cain's turned to look at her. She sighed completely exhausted but nodded her head. "I have enough energy to heal a tree once they get here but that's it. How close are we to the edge?"

Cain's jaw clenched his agitation evident. "About a mile. Can you make it that far if you're drained?"

"I think so."

He growled as the calls got closer to them in the darkened orchard. She moved toward one of the bigger trees and placed her good hand against it waiting for the Papay to come close enough to see her. Elmer was backing toward her foster parents on high alert. His entire body was ready to spring into action; she didn't really care to know what that action was.

Then she saw them stalking toward them beneath the dead limbs of their trees. The moonlight bounced off their green and brown bodies as they circled them. Elmer sucked in a horrified breath as he realized he had nowhere to run to. She rolled her eyes and focused on the lead hunter. "Sorry to intrude on your territory. We only want to pass through peacefully."

The leader barked at the others and they froze waiting. She wondered if this particular Papay had met her before. "I'm not sure if any of you recognize me. I'm Princess DG and I know I wasn't scheduled to be here for another month but, well, life happens when your making other plans right? At any rate I don't want you to think I'm a liar and I fully intend to come back soon. Until then I hope this is enough of a toll to walk by without any trouble."

She let all the magic she had left seep deep into the tree. She felt it warm and awaken under her palm and a beautiful feeling of peace surrounded her as the tree came back to life. She had her eyes closed to help her concentrate but she could smell the blossoms and hear the fruit growing at incredible speed as her magic jump-started the process. She opened her eyes when she heard soft whistles and low barks.

She grinned as the leader let out a hooting call and a path was made for them. Then it gave her a bow legged bow and the other dozen or so Papay followed suit. "Thank you. I hope to talk with you when I come back. Will you be the one to meet with me?"

The leader straightened and walked up to her slowly making an effort to appear as unfrightening as possible. Cain snorted as she crouched down so she was at eye level with it. It sat on its haunches and regarded her seriously. She could see a cool intelligence in its dark black eyes. She extended her hand palm up and waited. It leaned forward slowly and rested its head on her hand. She smiled softly her fingertips grazing the long coarse scales that covered its body as her palm came in contact with oddly smooth skin under its jaw. "It's nice to met you. What's your name?"

It let out a wheezing breath and let more of its weight settle on her palm. From the look in its eye she thought it might be laughing. Then it raised its head and let out two sharp high whistles and a low hum. She tilted her head and repeated the noises as best she could. She heard a number of barks and more of the strange wheezing noises go up around them. The leader bumped its chin on her palm and repeated the three sounds more quickly. She did the same with more accuracy this time.

The leader rubbed against her hand and hummed before the same process was repeated at a greater rate of speed. When she finished the third time the Papay pressed its forehead to her hand then stood back and bowed once more. Then it raised its head and waited. She grinned at it and winked. "I'll be sure to ask for you when I come back. Thank you for teaching me."

The Papay let out another wheezing laugh and turned away with a long series of hoots and whistles. The pack backed away as she got up and let them pass on with out incident. "Only you could make friends with an alpha Papay Darlin." She could have sworn she heard pride in Cain's voice.

She made it to the tree line before she started to stumble from exhaustion. Cain caught her around the waist before she could face plant and half carried her into the woods. Ten minutes later he located a good campsite and started to check the area to be sure it was safe. She sat down on a nearby log and waited for him to finish. Momster sat next to her when she started to list dangerously to the side and held her upright.

Cain came back with an arm full of firewood and Popsicle started to make a place for a fire pit. She slumped against her Robomom as she watched their progress. Elmer was sitting with his back against one of the giant trees that made up the O.Z. forest with a look of sheer shell shock on his face as Cain lit the fire under a steep rocky outcropping. She was pretty sure no one was going to see them with this kind of cover.

Then Cain stood up and began to hunt around the area. He kept picking up long thin sticks and tossing them away. She winced knowing he was going to have to set her wrist soon. While he was searching Elmer turned to her. "What did you do to that tree? And why did you say you were a Princess?"

Cain walked back into the firelight with two long sticks in his hand and glared down at Gulch. "Because she is the Princess. And not only did you manage to break her concentration and have us flung out into the Papay Fields you broke her wrist!" His eyes were blazing again and she sighed. This wasn't going to end well for Gulch or her wrist.

Author Note: Ok much faster this time right? It feels good to write a whole chapter and not have to stop to go study! Hope this one threw you all for a loop. Leave me a review and let me know if you think Gulch is going to have a good time on the other side of the rainbow.


	20. Chapter 20

Disclaimer: So I've been working on that evil plot to steal the rights… it's progressing nicely…

Gulch looked up at Cain from his place against the tree. "She's a bottom rung waitress and a gypsy. There is no way in hell she's a Princess."

For the first time since they landed back in the O.Z. Cain chuckled. It was a dark kind of chuckle but he didn't look like he was going to kill Gulch anymore. She had a feeling that could change at any given moment. He crouched down in front of the cop dropping the sticks and resting his hand on the tree next to his head. Cain leaned in close and Gulch flinched pressing his head back as far as possible.

"I'd be careful about what you say about her here. You'll find I'm more sensitive than most of her other subjects when it comes to your safety. She asked me not to kill you and so far I've kept that promise but you're severely trying my patience and I suspect hers. Believe me, you want to stay in her good graces if you want to make it in the Outer Zone."

Elmer gulped his eyes darted between Cain's steely gaze and her tired form. The Tin Man growled and Elmer gave him his full attention. "Get near her again, touch her again, or do anything to upset her in any way and I will break my promise." Then Cain gave him a small smile. "Or I'll let her have you. Either way you'll stop breathing." Then Cain stood up picking up the sticks as he left the cop staring after him his mouth hanging open.

He stopped in front of her and she lifted her head from Momster's shoulder. Cain pulled his pack over to him as he sat on the ground in front of her. She really didn't want to do this. It was going to hurt… a lot. But she slid off the log and rested her back against it as he got out a small first aid kit. Popsicle came up behind her and took her place on the log placing his legs on either side of her body.

Cain set his pack aside and set the two sticks, a thick role of bandages, a canteen, and a small brown packet of something next to his leg. Then he reached up and lifted the makeshift sling over her head letting her remove her arm from it herself. "We need to get your jacket off DG."

She shrugged it off her good shoulder first leaning forward as Popsicle helped her twist out of it. Then she made a small sound and he let go so she could use her good hand to slowly peel the material away from her injured wrist. Once it was free Cain moved his hands to her. "Wait a second." He froze as she shook her head in annoyance and used her good hand to twist the sleeve of her jacket up into a thick rope. This was not her day.

As soon as it was twisted properly she took a deep breath and shoved the fabric between her teeth to muffle any sound she would make when he snapped her wrist back into place. She nodded her head at the Tin Man and pressed her eyes closed so she wouldn't need to see what he had to do. She felt him extend her arm toward him as Popsicle's hands came down to hold her shoulders in place. Cain ran his fingers over her wrist gently inspecting the break and she sucked air in through her nose.

"It's a clean break but I'm going to have to set it." Cain's voice was calm. At least he sounded like he knew what he was doing. She nodded again. "On the count of three Sweetheart… One, three."

Damn it! He pulled a Glitch. She let out a muffled screech around the fabric as she felt her bones snap back into place. Popsicle held her down as her body tried to recoil against her will. She shook fighting unconsciousness as Cain positioned the two straight sticks on either side of her wrist and bandaged it tightly. He finished and set her arm in her lap so she spat her jacket out and opened her eyes. "Owww."

He snorted picking up the canteen and opening the small packet. He handed her a small brown pill, which she took hesitantly. "What's this?"

"Mild pain killer. It'll help." He was watching her face concerned so she threw the pill in her mouth as he opened the canteen and handed it to her. She took a sip and swallowed the bitter pill handing it back to him. She leaned back against Popsicle who patted her shoulder encouragingly. She tried to relax but her arm was screaming at her as she gazed up at the treetops.

"Is it safe for us to sleep here or do we need to keep moving?" She wasn't entirely sure she could push herself much more tonight but she wasn't going to stay here unless Cain said they could.

"Were as safe as we can be and we both know you can't go much farther until you rest." He was back in Tin Man mode and ready to protect. She felt bad she'd lost control so badly that they ended up out here. She gave him an apologetic look opening her mouth to tell him she was sorry about this whole mess.

He reached out and ran his hand through her hair. "This isn't your fault Darlin. Get some sleep, we'll get to Milltown tomorrow."

She looked away. "Ok, Cain." She got shakily to her feet avoiding everyone's gaze and snatched her pack away from its place next to Elmer who was now watching her oddly. She unhooked her bedroll from the bottom and retreated to the overhang near the fire tossing it down and kicking it open. She sat down carefully and pursed her lips as she glared at her boots.

She could think of many different reasons to be annoyed with her broken wrist now. She grabbed the heel of her boot with her right hand and yanked while she twisted her foot. She got it off but fell over backward in the process hitting her wrist. She cursed quietly as pain sparked in her then as it started to fade and Momster's worried face appeared above her she started to laugh softly.

"Pumpkin?"

She struggled to sit up tossing her shoe next to her blanket. She could feel tears threatening to fall even as she fought to stop laughing. This had been a god awful day and she wanted to sleep more than anything. "I can't even get my boots off." She managed to whisper to her foster mother. This wounded her sense of independence more than she was willing to admit to.

Momster kneeled in front of her and helped her get off her other boot. "Thanks Momster." She lay down curling up into a ball facing the overhang making sure her wrist was safe from any more self-injury. She heard and felt Momster move away and Cain take his place next to her. He was sitting propped up against the rock next to her head his gun out and resting on his lap. She scooted up on her blanket until the top of her head was pressed against his thigh feeling more secure when she was touching him.

His hand came down to rest on her hair and she let her eyes close feeling the effects of the medicine Cain had given her. His fingers ran across her scalp as she drifted off. She jerked awake as the first sun started to peak over the horizon. Her jaw was chattering as the cold threatened to consumer her. She sat up waking Cain in the process, his eyes opened and his hand wrapped around his gun when she moved.

"Sok, Tin Man." She murmured sleepily. He heard her teeth clacking together and opened his arm so she could absorb some of his body heat. She snuck under his outstretched arm tucking her legs up against her chest. The fire had gone out some time ago and the campsite was quiet her Roboparents and Gulch still sleeping. Cain rubbed her arm absently as he looked around.

"How are you feeling Sweetheart?" His hand moved up to rub her neck and she pressed her cheek to his shoulder.

"I'm alright. My magic's back but my wrist hurts." He rumbled low in his chest turning to kiss her forehead.

"We need to get you to a healer. I don't think were going to find one in Milltown either." He was keeping his voice low so he wouldn't wake anyone up. "And I don't know what to do with him." His eyes flicked to Gulch.

She hugged her injured wrist closer to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do when he grabbed me. The storm was going to get loose and I was afraid we'd all get separated."

"I should have been watching more closely." She could hear anger in his voice. He was angry with himself for losing control of the situation, for putting her in danger, for letting her get hurt.

"Let's call it even then and figure out what to do with him once we get to Milltown." Cain grunted in agreement and tilted her head up so he could kiss her. He let her go after a moment and stood to go wake up the others. After a struggle she got her boots on but gave up on her bedroll.

Cain was less than gentle when he kicked Gulch back into the land of the living. She moved to her nurture units and shook them awake. They were ready to go in a few minutes and Cain had taken care of her blanket securing it back to her pack ad tossing it on the sheriff's lap.

The Tin Man scouted the area quickly then motioned them to follow him. She went after him swiftly relieved that they would be sticking to the forest this time. She liked the woods as long as she didn't have to ride through them. An hour later she was almost starting to feel bad for Elmer. They had come to a small clearing just as the second sun appeared over the trees.

He froze in his tracks staring up at the twin suns. She happened to turn around and see his face as he processed what he was seeing. "Come on Gulch. There are still going to be two of them no matter how long you gawk at them." His eyes came down to hers lost.

She rolled her eyes and waved her good hand at Wyatt who was ignoring the man. "He told you you weren't in Kansas! Get a grip or pretend your dreaming but keep up! It's not safe out in the woods."

He started walking again his head shooting up every now and then to be sure there really were two suns in the sky. His voice was at least at a reasonable volume and he appeared ready to talk about the strange place he'd been flung into. "What are you all so afraid of out here? I thought you were a Princess? And doesn't that make them-" he pointed to Momster and Popsicle "- the King and Queen? Who's going to hurt you? And who is he?" The last part was directed at Cain.

Her nurture units looked at each other and Cain tugged on his hat aware that this was not a comfortable topic for her. She sucked it up not wanting anyone else to be upset. She spent enough time agonizing over this revelation about her life and didn't see a point in going over the whole thing again. "Momster and Popsicle are my foster parents." Elmer gave her his rarely seen sharp cop analysis. "And what we're worried about are a group of men called Longcoats who would very much like to see Wyatt and I dead."

"Why do they want you dead?"

Cain turned his head to look at the man for the first time since they left camp. His eyes were cool blue and serious. "Because DG killed the most powerful witch the Outer Zone has seen in centuries. She had taken control of the country and imprisoned the rest of the royal family not to mention hundreds of other people. Our realm has been at civil war for over fifteen annuals and the Longcoats are what's left of her army. If they get a hold of her they won't hesitate to kill her."

Elmer was silent for a long moment. She could tell he was torn between believing the story and calling them crazy. His next statement kinda surprised her since it was more on the acceptance side. "She said they wanted you dead as well."

Cain raised an eyebrow also intrigued that he had asked this. "I helped the Princess kill her."

Elmer nodded while he formulated his next question. "Is that what you did to that tree? You used magic?"

She glanced at Cain who was now eyeing the cop with a hint of amusement on his face. He stopped their progress and turned to look at the dark haired man. "You think we're lying to you."

Gulch crossed his arms and gave him the most distrustful look he'd ever seen. "Considering you just told me she used magic to kill an evil witch, then yes, I think your lying to me. I'm not an idiot; magic isn't real. And you're never going to convince me that she is a Princess."

She snickered and Cain smirked at him. She bent down and scooped up a rock next to her boot. Holding it in the palm of her good hand she let her light flare and Gulch stepped back in alarm. She focused briefly and the rock transformed itself into a small grey forest toad. Ok, so it wasn't at all subtle and it was way overdone but she made her point. She set the little guy down and he hopped off toward a nearby stump.

"Yeah, obviously magic isn't real. You better get used to surprises or your going to have a rough time here." And with that she turned away from him and they continued toward Milltown. Gulch was pleasantly silent the rest of the way there. They made it into town an hour or so past noon and were greeted enthusiastically by Father Viewer who nearly gave Gulch a heart attack as he floated to them.

The old robot hovered, as he looked them over. "Princess your injured… and you've brought a slipper with you. Why didn't you arrive by travel storm?"

"Oh, we arrived by travel storm. We were blown a bit off course and ended up spending the evening with the Papay."

Father View shook his head and motioned for them to follow him farther into the town. "I'm sorry to hear that but we have rooms set up for you and your Tin Man in the home next to your nurture units. I will see about an extra place for your new companion."

Cain tilted his head in thanks. "Much obliged. You don't happen to have a healer here do you?"

The robot shook his head. "I'm sorry to say we don't. I can have someone bring the Princess something to block the pain with your meal. Please, go refresh yourselves and we will talk once the suns have set." He motioned the two of them to a yellow building on there left. She smiled her thanks taking her pack from Elmer as Cain opened the door doing a sweep before he let her in. She stood on the stairs waiting as Father View and her Roborents agreed that Gulch should stay with them for a few hours. The man was so out of his element it was funny. He simply followed them in their house shaking his head apparently wishing that he was dreaming.

Cain came back out and told her it was safe. She thanked the mayor once more before she closed the door and latched it sealing them in with a silencing spell. She leaned back against the old wood with a heavy sigh setting her bag down next to her feet. Cain set his bag down as well before he walked up to stand against her. She tilted her head up to see his face and he leaned down cupping her jaw as he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss that left her weak kneed and very happy she was leaning against something.

Author Note: Oh the fun continues! You know Gulch can't stay out of trouble and DG is trouble and Cain always manages to find trouble, usually because he's with DG. And oh dear… Leave me a review you guys are so good at them.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: I have hit a snag in my evil plot. I have gone to recruit people to my cause.

She reached up wrapping her arms around his neck deciding that she had not spent enough time unclothed with him recently. He rumbled pressing her body flat against the door as his lips made their way down her jaw. She groaned lifting one of her legs and hooking it over his hip trying to get closer to him. One of his arms came down to help lift her leg up higher and she began to wriggle against him eagerly.

He growled nipping the skin of her neck before he pulled his head back so he could look at her. He rocked his hips into hers and she tangled the fingers of her good hand in the collar of his duster as her breathing started to get ragged. She leaned forward and bit his earlobe feeling frantic to have him closer to her.

"Ozma's slipper DG." He hissed at her as she released his ear and on impulse licked him under his jaw. "Keep this up and we're not going to make it to the bed."

"Don't care. To many cloths." She began to shove his duster off his shoulders finding it difficult to do with one wrist bandaged up tightly. He let her leg drop to the floor so his arms wouldn't get tangled in his coat. After it fell to the floor he wrapped his hands around her waist as he moved them away from the door and unfastened her pants as he kissed her.

"I thought I promised we'd go slow Sweetheart." His eyes had darkened to a much deeper shade of blue as his calloused hands brushed the fabric down off her hips.

She pressed her lips against his hungrily. She thought she might explode if he tried to slow down. "Now, Wyatt!" She had no idea what had come over her but she was clawing at his vest and she was pretty sure that that last thing she said sounded damn bossy. He spun her around toward the wall and she stepped out of her pants as she went.

As soon as he had her back to the wood he hooked his thumbs in her panties and slid them down off her. He kissed her hipbone gently as he stayed on his knees his hands running up her legs and thighs and he began to unbutton her shirt at the bottom. When his lips started to move inward she whimpered tugging the fedora off his head and letting it drop to the floor next to them.

"Wyatt-" Her words were breathy and she was having serious trouble focusing. "-you don't have to."

He chuckled his warm breath floating over her stomach. "But I want to. You have no idea how much I like to hear you whimper my name Darlin. Now take off your shirt for me DG."

She felt herself start to tremble but did exactly as he asked. For good measure she pulled her tank top over her head as well leaving herself completely exposed to him. He kissed her stomach once and smiled up at her before he lifted her leg and placed it over his shoulder. Her eyes glazed over and she hissed in anticipation as his lips trailed down between her legs.

His lips settled over her clit and one of his hands came up to tease the inside of her thigh as he started to suck her gently. She mewled her back arching and her good hand coming down to rest on his short blond hair. "Oh God!" This felt so good and he was doing something amazing with his tongue.

Then his fingers were inside her and her world contracted. Her grip on his hair tightened and she felt him grunt the vibration rocking against her as he crooked his fingers inside her pulling another long moan from her. It didn't take him long to have her practically sobbing his name as she came apart against his mouth. His hand left her thigh and helped brace her against the wall as she gasped for air.

He placed her foot on the ground and picked her up walking toward what she guessed was the bedroom. She nibbled at his neck causing him to huff in irritation. He kicked the door open and tossed her gently on a small quilt covered bed. She bounced with a giggle as he unbuttoned his vest and shirt as she stopped springing. He shrugged out of his cloths his pants following his shirt.

He growled as he crawled over her his lips capturing hers as his arms caught her legs. Suddenly her knees were locked under his elbows and he was thrusting into her in one swift stroke. She moaned as his hands snaked under her and held her shoulders pressing her closer to him. He sucked on the bruise he had given her as he began to move inside of her.

She moaned and feeling brave or simply to good to care about being nervous she twisted her head enough to be able to breath into his ear. After all his words had certainly sent spikes of pleasure through her so she figured there was no harm in trying to excite him more. "That trick with your tongue was very impressive Wyatt." She drew his name out and scratched her nails down his scalp as she spoke.

She heard him suck in a breath his movements slowing slightly as he focused on her words. "But having you inside me like this feels even better." His fingers tightened around her shoulders and he thrust harder into her. She gasped his name trying to remember what she had meant to say next. "I've never felt as good as when you press into me and groan my name. It makes chills run up my spine."

Her words were having their intended effect. "Your eyes turn the most brilliant shade of blue when you're buried inside of me. It makes me wonder how many different ways you're going to take me." Cain's thrusts were becoming desperate as he drove to bring her over the edge with him. She nuzzled his neck feeling herself getting close. "I'm so close Cowboy, twist your hips for me, make me scream for you." He complied with a feral growl and as promised she arched her back as she shouted out his name as they tumbled into ecstasy together.

He didn't even try to move off of her for a long time and she wasn't in a hurry to get him off truth be told. He unhooked her legs but returned his hands to her arms as his face rested against her hair. She played with the hair at the nape of his neck contentedly making a mental note to come up with some new material to whisper to him next time they were in bed together. Her body was sated and limp but her wrist was starting to throb again and she shifted so his weight wasn't pressing down on her left arm.

His head came up when she moved and he rolled them over so she was sprawled over his chest with her hips straddling him. She buried her face in his shoulder now slightly embarrassed as she readjusted her arm so her wrist wasn't being crushed. One of his hands rested on the small of her back and the other came up to run over her hair. She could hear his heart beat thumping steadily under her ear and she smiled. And he once said he didn't have a heart, silly man.

If her wrist hadn't been hurting so much this would have been perfect she though idly. The hand that was on her back started to trace over her bruise and she winced. Ok that too. "Darlin you're a mess." Cain murmured amusement thick in his voice. His head had come up to look her over and she raised her face off his chest to glare at him.

"Gee thanks." Sarcasm was rather prominent in her tone. "I feel very pretty and loved now that you've pointed that out." She rolled her eyes. She usually liked Cain's blunt honesty and she was ever so slightly amused by it at the moment, but what woman wants to hear that in this kind of situation? Her eyes flicked to the door, she bet there was a bathtub around here somewhere. "See if you get to see me naked again." She teased as she made to get off him.

He snorted and let her stand before he pulled her into his lap as he sat on the edge of the bed. She let out an eep of surprise as his arms held her against him. He twisted her sideways so he could see her face and brushed the hair out of her eyes. He kissed her softly and she stilled letting him explore her mouth. When he drew back his blue eyes were bright and alive as he cupped her face. "I do love you DG."

She froze her eyes widening and locking with his. His fingers held her face as she searched his very open expression. He wasn't lying and he wasn't hiding anything from her. He meant it. Then she pounced him because she didn't know what else to do and it seemed appropriate given the situation. He barely managed to keep them upright as she assaulted him with kisses her arms going back around his neck.

"Easy Sweetheart." He managed as he tried to hold her extremely excited form still. She ignored him wrapping herself back around him and attacking him with nips and kisses. She changed her mind, she didn't care if her wrist hurt, this was perfect. He gave up the fight and let her have her way running his hand up her back and trying to keep them upright with the other.

When she settled down he grabbed her neck and kissed her soundly before resting his forehead against hers. She didn't think she'd ever had such a big smile on her face before. He gave her a soft smile in return. She kissed him once more for emphasis. "I love you to."

She thought his eyes might actually start to glow when she said that. His arms tightened around her and his jaw clenched his hand tucking her head under his chin. He held on to her for a long time before he let her up. "Come on Sweetheart. Let's get you cleaned up."

She stood and Cain led her to a small room a door down the hall. As he opened the door the small bathroom someone knocked on the front door. She turned her head but he shoved her in the bathroom closing the door. "I'll take care of it. Take a bath and we can eat when you're done."

She blinked as he shut the door but dropped the silencing spell she'd thrown over the house as she turned on the water. The small tub filled with warm water quickly and she stepped in and submerged herself in the warm water gratefully. She could hear Cain talking to someone in a friendly manner and knowing it was safe began to wash her hair one handed. It took forever to get clean and keep her bandaged wrist dry but she managed.

Getting out of the tub she wrapped a towel around her waist and paused. She had no cloths and she could still hear Cain talking. She cracked the door open listening and heard an unfamiliar voice giving the Tin Man instructions on some sort of herbal medication. She nearly gagged when she made out the words boil and tea. That sounded so tasty. Then the front door closed and she poked her head out of the bathroom her hair dripping. She frowned focusing her light and it did its instant blow-drying trick.

Cain walked back down the hall and saw her head craning around the doorframe. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Can I grab my pack?"

His lip twitched and he nodded. "Food's in the sitting room. I'll be out in a few minutes." He looked her over as she walked out in a towel heading for the front door. His arm shot out and he pushed her backward. "I put our things in the bedroom DG. Can't say anything's organized at this point though."

She grinned and turned back to the bedroom closing the door behind her as Cain went into the bathroom. Her lip twitched when she saw the mess on the floor. He had obviously been in a hurry to get dressed and hide the fact that her cloths hadn't made it all that far into the house. She opened her pack and retrieved a set of clean cloths putting them on before she sat on the floor and began to fold their cloths.

Once they were folded she placed them in their respective bags and headed toward the food. She grinned when she spotted an assortment of food sitting on an old wooden tray on a battered old table in the center of the small cozy room. Oh yummy! She hadn't eaten since yesterday and she made it to the tray her fingers inches from a roll before she drew her hand back. She sighed and turned to the fireplace tossing a few logs into it and lighting it with her magic.

Then she snatched up an old teakettle and filled it full of water from the kitchen before she returned and hung it over the fireplace on a metal hook that had been installed for just that purpose. She sat on the edge of one of the faded chairs watching the fire as she waited for Wyatt. The kettle whistled and she stood up tugging her sleeve over her palm and lifting the kettle away from the fire. She set it on top the table as Cain walked into the room.

"Where's the medicine they sent over?" She was looking over the tray but all she saw was food.

He reached over the tray taking a tea bag and plopping it in a teacup handing it to her. "Let it steep for a few minutes before you drink it." His gaze flicked over the untouched tray then to her. "You haven't eaten yet."

Her brows furrowed. Was he trying to trick her or something? "You weren't here."

He smiled pleased, sitting down and picking up a plate as she snatched up a role. They ate silently as her tea cooled down. After she was full and happy she grabbed the cup and moved to sit carefully on his lap. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned back and took a sip of the tea. "Uggg! What is this? Motor oil?"

He chuckled as she braced herself and swallowed the lot of it as fast as possible. "That was gross. It better make my wrist stop throbbing or so not worth it."

He took the cup from her and set it on the floor before he cuddled her back against him. She was just starting to drift off lulled by his even breathing and the warmth of the fire when she heard shouting and gunshots. She sprang off him fully awake as he snatched his gun off the table. He ran to the window keeping her behind him as he parted the curtains.

She looked past his shoulder and cursed vehemently. Riding into the center of town a large group of raggedly dressed Longcoats were being chased by a group of the royal guard. While the guard had them on the run they were sorely outnumbered and the Longcoats were turning to make a stand in the town square.

Cain headed to the door unlatching it and turning to her. "You stay here!"

She was behind him instantly her hands glowing. "Not a chance in hell Tin Man. This is my fight to and I'm going to help." Her voice was dead serious and she could see the real fear in his eyes. She set her chin and stared him down. "We don't have time to argue! These are my people and I will help them!"

He growled torn between wanting to protect her and knowing that she could in fact help them. Precious seconds ticked by as they stared at one another shouts and gunfire growing louder. "Stay behind me and keep your head down. They'll know who you are as soon as you cast a spell."

She jerked her head and he threw the door open. She took a breath trying not to think about what could happen in the next few minutes.

Author Note: Ok midterms are freaking killing me. Leave me a review and lift my spirits. I swear it helps.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Don't own it but see author note for devious details…

The door hit the outside wall with a bang that went largely unnoticed in the pandemonium that had erupted in the small town. Armed robot citizens had quickly organized themselves in windows, porches, and rooftops to help the Royal Guard. They had good aim but so did the Longcoats. She couldn't figure out why they had been herded into Milltown.

She didn't have time to ponder that question as Cain started shooting and a number of soldiers charged the stragglers of the witch's former army. They cut them from their horses with quick efficiency and she heard a shouted command above the noise. She recognized the voice immediately and so did Cain; he should have, seeing as it was his sons. His head whipped toward it and she cursed tackling him to the ground as two Longcoats fired at them.

For an instant her world stood still as she heard the shots go over their heads. Then her eyes opened and rage took over. They had just tried to kill them. Her light flared in a way it never had before and she could feel it pulsating along with her fury. She let it lash out without thinking about it and both men that had shot at them were instantly engulfed in a ball of fire. Her eyes narrowed as she rolled away from Cain and heads started turning in her direction.

Cain snatched her arm and pulled her back toward him as he got to his feet firing off another shot. More than her hands were glowing at this point and her morality and sense of right and wrong had left the instant those men had tried to kill Wyatt.

One of the Longcoats pointed at them. "The damned Princess is here! Kill her!" Guns and knives were raised on both sides as the news of her presence was oh so subtly announced. Cain tried to shove her backward his face impassive but his eyes snapping with panic. She hissed in rage at the Longcoats audacity and let loose a blast of pure energy straight into their ranks. It hit with a sickening sound as bones and blood exploded with the impact.

She must have killed at least seven of them outright and another five were badly injured. Her magic level dropped significantly. She wasn't going to be able to do that many more times. Fortunately it didn't look like she was going to have to. The blast scared the Longcoats out of their heads and they scattered in every conceivable direction. If she thought the scene they had run out on was chaotic it had nothing on this.

Between the men she had killed and the added help from the citizens of Milltown the sides were pretty even. Fights broke out everywhere as the Royal Guard blocked the paths of the now panicked resistors. She and the Tin Man were suddenly surrounded by four more Longcoats on foot who were either to stupid to run or thought that killing her would earn them their freedom. Either way they made the wrong choice.

Cain shot one in the head before he got close and blood and gore splattered everywhere. She blasted the one that was trying to sneak in on her left with a bolt of electricity and sent him skidding across the dirt road in a burned heap. He hit a building on the far side of the street and didn't move; she highly doubted he would again. She turned back in time to see the butt of Cain's gun connect solidly with one man's nose and she ducked ramming her shoulder into the last soldier's gut.

Both men fell and Cain shot the one that had run at him in the chest as she kicked hers viciously in the head. Her eyes came up and she saw that most of the fighting had ended as quickly as theirs had. She was panting her hands still shining as adrenaline pumped through her veins. Cain had his gun raised, eyes scanning the town as he moved cautiously forward.

She walked out next to him tense for another attack. It was clear to see who had won this fight. Longcoats lay dead or unconscious all around them as the Royal Guard began to see to their wounded or tie up the still living conspirators. The Tin Man slowly lowered his gun his eyes now searching for something other than an enemy. She nudged him in the ribs pointing toward one of the larger buildings in town where Jeb was dismounting and giving rapid-fire orders to several of his men.

His jaw loosened and he walked toward his son as she trailed after him. She hadn't seen Jeb in well over two months and thought he looked pretty damn good in his new uniform. At least he would if he wasn't bleeding from his forehead quite so badly. She briefly wondered what building would be best to treat the wounded in and began to hunt for Father Viewer with her eyes.

As she searched she saw something in the square that caught her attention. She stopped following Cain as she felt a small amount of magic float to her from a wagon in the center of the square. The Longcoats must have pulled it in with them when they were running and she'd be damned if that presence didn't feel awfully familiar. She let what was left of her magic scan it and her jaw dropped open. It wasn't magic that she felt.

"Raw!" She whispered her eyebrows coming together as she sprinted toward the beat up old supply wagon. She skidded to a halt behind it tearing at the rope holding the canvas covering closed not feeling the pain that shot up her arm from her wrist. "Raw, are you alright? Raw!"

"DG?" She heard a confused but grateful rumble from behind the fabric. She couldn't get the knot undone and with a snarl of annoyance grabbed a handful of the rope and set it on fire with her magic. She swayed but stayed up as she tore the door open. Sitting trussed up inside the dark and gloomy cart Raw looked out at her.

"Crap! Raw, hold on! I need a knife to get cut you out." She looked around quickly and spying a dead Longcoat a few feet away scrambled over to him and pulled a small blade out of his boot with a grimace. She returned to Raw jumping into the wagon and slashing the ropes around his feet and ankles.

The viewer rubbed his wrists with his furry hands as she sat back on her heels. "Did they hurt you Raw?" She was deeply concerned for her gentle friend but he just shook his head and chuckled. He pointed toward the outside and she left the wagon as he jumped out behind her.

Raw gazed solemnly around the battleground. Then his warm brown eyes returned to her. "DG hurt." He reached out and gently cradled her wrist in his hands. He un-bandaged her wrist carefully and let the two sticks drop to the ground next to them. "Raw heal now."

He closed his eyes and placed one hand over her wrist as the other held it. She felt his body, well; purr silently as her wrist heated up. It only took him a few moments and then he released her with a pleased smile. She lifted her hand and slowly flexed her fingers before rotating her wrist. It felt better than ever. "Thanks, Raw!" She threw her arms around his neck in a bear hug and he held her as he rumbled his happiness.

There moment was interrupted by a worried yell. "Sweetheart! Where are you?"

Her head came up and she stepped back as Raw tilted his head in surprise. She wondered if it was from the endearment or the emotions that accompanied it. "Over here!"

Cain came around the wagon with his gun drawn and paused when he saw the viewer. Raw smiled serenely at the Tin Man. "Raw?" Cain's face actually went blank with surprise. "Where did you come from?"

Raw sighed sadly. "Longcoats catch Raw. Been in wagon." Then he brightened and patted her on the head affectionately. Her lip twitched. "Then DG rescue."

The Tin Man holstered his gun and pushed his fedora up with his thumb his eyes alight with humor. "You telling me you got caught by Longcoats _again_? And she saved you _again_?"

Raw snorted at him. "DG good princess. Not make fun of Raw like Tin Man."

"Don't make fun of my healer Wyatt." She pointed at him in a mock serious fashion. "I don't want to have to royally reprimand you when we get back to the palace."

Cain snorted but grabbed her now good wrist and checked it over. He bent it and prodded it before nodding his head in approval. "Good job Furball. If you're up to it there's wounded that need lookin at."

Raw nodded and they headed back to where she had last seen Jeb. He was now leaning against the railing of one of the porches a handkerchief pressed against his head as he talked to one of his men. A number of other wounded were sitting or lying near him as a medic checked them over. Raw moved toward the most seriously injured and after a nod from both Cain and a confused Jeb began to heal him.

She spotted an O.Z. style first aid kit and headed for those who would not die if she treated them. She was no healer or even a medic but had learned basic first aid a few hours after the eclipse battle. It had been a gruesome ordeal but she had refused to run or loose her stomach at the sight of the field hospital. She had spent hours treating minor wounds and talking with the soldiers that had helped stop the witch before Glitch and Cain had found her and dragged her out. Then she had lost control of her stomach. Neither of her friends had said anything about it as she whipped her mouth with the back of her hand before going to talk to her mother.

Compared to that this was a walk in the park. There were only a handful of badly wounded soldiers and the medic and Raw had them well under control. Several men had broken bones, which would have to wait, and the rest were bleeding from minor cuts and gashes like Jeb's. Including she was surprised to note, Elmer Gulch. She began to bandage up the nearest man to her as several of the Milltown residents did the same.

She made her way in a jagged line toward Jeb who still hadn't sat down or been looked at. He was now talking to his father as his uninjured men were piling up bodies or securing prisoners. She shook her head thinking she needed a nap to deal with the Cain stubborn streak after this lovely ordeal. She was trying not to think to hard about where the splatters of blood on her hands and cloths had come from or the fact that she had just killed a number of men.

She edged close to Jeb bandages and antiseptic in hand making sure Wyatt was blocking his other escape route before she pounced. "Good job mighty leader. Time to sit down so I can stop that delightful geyser of blood erupting from your forehead."

Jeb turned to her still holding the now very bloody cloth to his head. His blue eyes were tired but alert. He gave her a small genuine smile in greeting. "Thanks Princess but I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow and she swore she saw Cain's lip twitch before his mask fell back over his face. She was too tired to play this game with Jeb right now. "Jeb, I don't want to get into a fight with you but so help me if you don't sit down so I can bandage your head I will knock you on your ass so fast you'll think you got bowled over by a rabid munchkin."

Jeb blinked at her his mouth dropping open slightly. Wyatt pulled his fedora down over his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest his shoulders shaking. She waved her very full hands slightly. "Sit!" He sat but whether it from compliance or because he simply thought she was mad she didn't know.

She grumbled as she pulled his hand and the now irreparable handkerchief from his cut. It wasn't deep and she didn't think it would scare and told him so. She cleaned it carefully and bandaged it before letting him escape her clutches. "There was that so bad? I swear you two are as stubborn as mules."

She continued to mutter loudly as she moved on to her next patient knowing they could both still hear her. She imitated Jeb's deeper voice. "Bandage my wound? Why no thank you Princess I'd rather just bleed to death. But don't worry my uniform still looks brand spankin new." Then she changed he accent to a rough approximation of Wyatt's accent. "Tell me why you let my son bleed to death Princess. I left him alone with you for ten minutes and you couldn't keep him breathin?"

By this point she had most of the wounded laughing and she could hear Jeb snort behind her. She turned to the dark haired man whose arm she was disinfecting. "It's all about keeping the uniform in top condition isn't it? I've seen the requisition forms to get new ones. Ten pages? And look at you! You won't be able to write for a week. Sad day for you my friend." She shook her head mournfully as more laughter erupted around her. "Unless of course your left handed in which case I could always slash your other arm to save you the trouble of trying to off yourself when they hand you the paperwork."

The man she was bandaging was laughing so hard she could barely finish her work. "Better?" She asked. He nodded his green eyes twinkling and she smiled moving to the next man. She kept a steady stream of jokes as she worked distracting the men from both their pain and the fight they had been through. When she finished she helped move the men into the town hall making sure they were as comfortable as possible before she went back outside to meet up with Cain.

He was leaning against a building that Jeb was sitting against. She walked over exhausted and plopped down on the dirt road in front of Jeb sitting cross-legged. With the amount of blood and grime on her she wasn't all that worried about her pants getting muddy. Her eyes flicked around and finally found Raw who was winding his way toward them between robots. He stopped before them gazing down at her. "DG very tired. Cain and Jeb as well. Need rest."

She smiled. She'd been tired for months now it wasn't all that new. "Raw how did they catch you again? And where's Kalm?"

Raw rumbled his eyes darting up suspiciously. All of them followed his gaze. She saw him looking at Gulch. "Will tell story inside. Kalm safe. Come."

She got to her feet with a groan and they walked toward the house Father Viewer had assigned them earlier that day. She wasn't sure she could handle another story. But what the hell at least the fight was over and they were all still alive.

Author Note: Leave me a review! They make me type faster honest to goodness. And I'm glad to know I have willing volunteers in my plot to steal Tin Man. I shall let you know the time and lace of the uprising…


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Don't own it but glad I now have recruits. We need to make signs or t-shirts or something.

The door of the old house was still open and Cain drew his gun moving in cautiously. Jeb followed close behind two long knives in his hands splitting away from his father when he reached the sitting room. Once they were sure the house was safe she closed the door and latched it securely. She sighed and bracing herself let the rest of her magic leave her and form a silencing spell around the place.

Slumping she felt her body slid slowly down to the floor her hands searching for purchase as her world went in and out of focus. Raw caught her as she went down and crouched in front of her his eyes worried. "DG used all her magic."

She laughed softly. "Yup and two days in a row." She felt as if she'd been wrung out to dry. She pushed some hair out of her eyes and felt her cheek get sticky. Oh god she knew what made it sticky and winced. Her hands were caked in a thin film of partially dried blood. She dropped them to her lap and looked back up at the viewer trying to push her emotions away so he wouldn't have to feel them on top of everyone else's. She didn't envy her gentle friends gift. She could barely handle her own emotions; she would hate to have to deal with everyone else's as well.

Raw reached out and took her bloody hands as she tried to pull them away. He looked her in the eye and his dark brown eyes were clam and serious. "DG not need to hide from Raw. Very brave. Made soldiers feel better." She felt him pushing her fear away with his gift and instinctively leaned toward him. His arms engulfed her as his magic flowed into her.

"Friends safe now. DG allowed to let go." She felt her body begin to shake as she let the events of the last hour catch up with her. She squeezed her eyes shut curling into his furry body as he patted her head. She didn't allow herself to cry but let her head fall to his shoulder as she regained control of herself. Comforted she relaxed into him slowly.

She sat up looking at the seer with a strained smile. She felt a hell of a lot better. "Thanks Raw." He rumbled affectionately at her and helped her to her feet. Cain was watching them from the bedroom doorway with a clean set of her cloths in his hands. He made no move to interrupt them waiting patiently as Raw held her. He had already changed and his hat and duster were AWOL. Raw led her to the bathroom and left her as the Tin Man took her arm. Cain nodded to the seer before he closed them both in the bathroom.

He sat her on the edge of the tub and set her cloths on the floor next to the door. Picking up a washcloth he wet it and turning back to her began to wipe the blood and dirt from her cheek. His hands brushed through her hair as he pushed it out of her face. She sighed her eyes closing as she leaned into his touch. His thumb ran up behind her ear as he scrubbed her face clean.

"Thank you for patching up Jeb, Sweetheart." The cloth moved down to her neck and she tilted her head back.

She kept her eyes closed. "Don't need to thank me. Jeb's family."

Cain paused the cloth pressed against her skin. She hoped she hadn't just overstepped any boundaries but she thought he should know where she stood. After a long moment she opened her eyes so she could see him. The moment she did he was searching her eyes with his cool blue ones. She was slightly disconcerted by their intensity but didn't break eye contact.

As suddenly as the silent interrogation began it ended, his eyes had softened in acceptance of this statement. His thumb began to caress behind her ear again and his gaze returned to her neck as he finished washing the blood off of her. He set the cloth to the side and started to unbutton her shirt. As his hands worked to unclasp the top buttons she began at the bottom wanting to get away from the sight and increasingly unpleasant smell that was clinging to her.

Peeling her shirt off her Cain helped her stand and she headed to the sink. He turned on the taps and stood behind her helping her wash away the last of the blood from her hands. As she attacked the underside of her fingernails his hands left her now clean forearms and snaked around to unhook her pants. Finally satisfied that she was clean she stepped back into his chest after she turned off the water.

His arm wrapped around her bare stomach and he kissed the back of her head as his fingers grazed her rib cage. He let her go and picked up her cloths as she tugged off her boots and shimmied out of her pants. She peeled off her sweaty socks and dropped them on top of the rest of her cloths. Handing her the clean cloths one at a time she redressed feeling like a new woman.

Once she was done Cain kicked her soiled garments into the corner and opened the door. He placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her smoothly out the door and down the hall toward the study. She wasn't sure if she should have been surprised when his hand stayed firmly attached to her back as he maneuvered her to the couch. Jeb and Raw watched them as they sat.

Jeb's lip was twitching as he sipped a glass of water and Raw was obviously trying to catch up with the situation. She sat down heavily curling up into a corner of the couch and praying for an absence of adventure for a while. She turned her attention to Raw she reclined her head on the backrest of the old couch. Cain beat her to the question that was about to tumble from her lips.

"Ok, Furball story time."

Raw gave a heartfelt sigh and looked at the Tin Man sadly. "Long story." Then his eyes turned to her puzzled. "Very strange."

She raised her head and Wyatt's eyebrows lifted in silent question. Jeb reached over to their dinner tray and picked up an apple content to listen to the story as he ate. She glanced at the tray momentarily derailed. Had they really eaten only an hour ago? She shook it off and refocused on the viewer when his soft voice began to float across the small space between them.

"After Raw left to take Kalm to other Viewers felt DG hurt."

She tilted her head at him. "What? How? I wasn't anywhere near you."

The seer rumbled and nodded. "Raw not understand for long time. Think he was hearing things."

Jeb swallowed the bite of apple he was chewing. "How were you hurt DG?" She saw concern in his eyes and felt an odd warmth settle in her stomach. She hadn't thought Jeb really cared for her all that much.

Cain tilted his head to Raw. "Just wait Son. I have a feeling the Furball figured this out before she did."

Raw's soft gaze grew more worried. "Didn't know until two weeks ago. Felt DG in many places all at once when meditating. Raw think DG's magic linked us during eclipse. Now can feel all the time."

She winced in sympathy and regret. "Oh no. I didn't know I could do that without consciously casting a spell. I'm sorry Raw, I can break it as soon as I rest."

Raw smiled at her in a way that clearly told her this was in no way her fault. Cain turned to regard her. "What spell?"

She ran a hand through her hair and looked over at the viewer. "I cast it when we were running into the Tower didn't I?" Raw rumbled an affirmative and she turned back to Wyatt.

"It's a sort of binding spell but… much less possessive. It doesn't make anyone do anything it just… links me to them. It can lend them protection and depending on their natural gifts it will alert both parties to danger or trouble. Since Raw's a viewer it was like he was with me all the time." She turned back to her furry friend. "Seriously sorry about that. I didn't even know I could do that at the time. It must have been instinctual when we split up the way we did."

Cain gazed at her his wheels turning. "That means you connected to me and the Headcase too. How did the spell affect us?"

Her brows furrowed as she thought about it. "I would guess that it stabilized Glitch's synapses to a certain extent and probably speed up your healing time or made you less likely to get seriously injured." He grunted in surprise and Jeb seemed impressed.

"That would explain why it was so easy for the Furball to heal my shoulder after I got shot. And why it didn't bleed that much right after it happened."

She shrugged helplessly turning back to Raw and indicating that he should continue. "Raw felt most of DG at Tower. Afraid, confused, very tired. Also felt DG at Finaqua and Ice Palace." She shuddered at the mention of the cold kingdom but made no comment.

Raw paused his eyes focused somewhere far away. "Then felt DG moving toward Tower." She looked at him curiously. The other pieces of her soul were stationary. Why would one be moving? Cain seemed to have the same question.

"Raw knew Kalm safe. Left to help DG. Was worried." Raw suddenly looked annoyed with himself. "Raw stop paying attention to surroundings when DG left O.Z. Panicked, thought she died. Didn't use head. Got captured when running to Tower. Been in wagon since then."

She opened her mouth then shut it. She tried again. "Thank you Raw." Her response came out as a half whisper. He had gotten captured because he was worried about her. She didn't deserve friends like these men and counted herself lucky that she had them anyway.

Raw smiled at her in a soothing way. "Does deserve." Cain looked at her sharply but she simply nodded her head and focused on his earlier words.

"You said a piece was moving? How is that possible? The other ones we caught were just kinda hanging out in one general area."

Jeb let out an exasperated breath. "A piece of what?"

"Oh, my soul." She said it off handedly distracted by Raw and turned back quickly when Jeb started choking on a bite of his apple.

"What!"

Cain stood up and walked quickly over to Jeb pounding him on the back. He glared at her once he was sure his son wasn't going to die. She gazed back at him guiltily. Jeb managed to wheeze out another question smacking his father's hands away. "How do you manage to loose that?"

"She has a gift Son." Cain said dryly. She thought that was highly unfair and turned her nose up at him. Not like it was her fault.

She waved at Raw. "The moving piece?"

Raw rumbled and closed his eyes humming softly under his breath and swaying slightly from side to side as he went into a trance. It was an interesting process to watch. She had never seen him do this on their journey together. And unlike his nifty mirror trick this didn't seem to cause him any sort of pain. He continued his slow rhythmic movements for several long minutes as they sat expectantly waiting for his answer. At long last he opened his eyes.

When he looked at her she saw a number of emotion filter across his expressive eyes. They all confused the hell out of her. Amusement, joy and most disturbing, mischief made appearances. His brown eyes flickered to the Tin Man. "Will have to get moving piece last. Will be hardest to convince to return to DG."

Cain raised a suspicious eyebrow at the viewer. "And why is that?"

Raw laughed merrily at the serious man who was by this point practically leaning over him. "Because happy where it is."

Her eyebrows knit together in confusion and she leaned forward on the couch her hands pressed against the edges of the cushion so she could see Raw past the imposing Tin Man. "It's happy?" She grumbled. "And most likely stubborn if it doesn't want to come out…Raw where is it?"

Raw reached his glove cover hand up to the very close and scowling Cain and placed it over his heart. "Inside Tin Man. Found home."

Cain's jaw dropped and she tumbled off the couch hitting the floor with a resounding thud. Shit.

Author Note: Snort. Ooops how'd that happen? Anyway I'm going on vacation this Friday and am iffy about internet access. I will do my best to find a café every now and then to post but be patient with me. If nothing else I promise to have three chapters up by the following Saturday even if I have to post them all at once so be happy. Leave me a review you know they make me type faster! Oh and I hope to have one more up before my possible dissapearence.


	24. Chapter 24

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man but I now have the blue prints to the secrete writers workshop. Gather your weapons of choice…

"What!" She screeched from a tangled heap on the old wooden floor. "Raw you're a liar!" She said this in an accusing manor kicking her leg out from under her rib cage. This was so messed up. Cain turned his eyes to her as she scrambled ungracefully to her feet. The Tin Man looked as lost as she felt.

Jeb who had been silent until this point suddenly burst out into hysterics. Cain's eyes left hers and his jaw twitched as he turned to his son. "What is so damned funny?"

Jeb shook his head unable to talk and pointed at his father his face turning red as he laughed. Cain straightened and stepped away from the smirking seer crossing his arms defensively over his chest. She sat back on the couch and buried her face in her hands. Christ, this meant her soul had been in Cain long before she knew he wanted to be with her. Which in turn meant she had been in denial since her soul had split. Which probably meant she had been in love with him since the damned eclipse. She groaned her hands tangling in her hair.

Jeb found his voice and managed to gasp out a reply. "Dad, I don't know how you get yourself in these situations. And I thought watching you courting the Princes was going to be fun to watch. This is priceless." Jeb was wiping tears from his eyes breaking into random bouts of uncontrollable laughter.

Cain growled and glared out the window. Raw tilted his head curiously. "Cain and DG mates now?"

Her head came up so fast her neck cracked. He did not just ask that. Cain was going to have a heart attack and die. She snorted as Wyatt blushed the most brilliant shade of crimson she had ever seen in her entire life. Jeb smacked a hand over his mouth now well beyond the point of no return. Strange noises were erupting from his covered mouth as he attempted to stop them. Cain was now glaring daggers at some point on the ceiling.

Raw turned to her and gave her a delighted smile. "Mates then. Good. DG very happy." He turned back to the Tin Man who was standing still as a statue pretending to ignore all of them. "Cain happy as well. Will keep soul safe." By this point the blush had spread down his neck and up to the tips of his ears. She snickered and Jeb was now gasping for oxygen.

"Of course I'll keep it safe." He muttered under his breath still refusing to look at anyone. She made the mistake of meeting Jeb's eyes and peals of laughter erupted from both of them. She fell back on the couch as helpless to stop her laughter as Jeb was. Raw started snickering as well though not nearly as loudly and Cain closed his eyes his fingers coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

It took a considerable amount of time for them to calm down and it didn't help that every time there was a lull either she or Jeb would make eye contact again. When it appeared that they were finished Cain glared at both of them. "Are you both done now?"

She focused on not laughing and jerked her head in an affirmative manner knowing that if she tried to talk the sounds of amusement would escape. She couldn't keep her lips from twitching and Cain rolled his eyes turning to Jeb who smiled at him. Cain had given up trying to intimidate them into not making fun of him and he sat back down pouting in a very serious manner.

As Wyatt sat silently brooding Raw turned back to her. "Who slipper outside? Raw not trust."

She winced all the humor running out of her. Cain stopped brooding and growled his eyes flicking to the window. Jeb raised an eyebrow curiously as Raw waited. She muttered under her breath in annoyance. "He's a freaking pain in my ass is who he is."

Jeb snorted and Raw blinked at her. "DG not like man." The viewer shifted in his seat when he felt the emotions rolling off the Tin Man. "Cain want to shoot him. Why?"

Did _everyone_ need to know her business? She kept her mouth firmly shut refusing to answer the question. Raw rumbled in confusion at her stubborn refusal to answer him. Cain glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Don't even go there Tin Man."

He sighed but remained silent. Jeb narrowed his eyes. "Ok, obviously were missing something. How'd he get here?"

She rolled her eyes. "He tried to drag me out of a travel storm so I had to bring him along."

Rage flashed unexpectedly across Jeb's face. "He touched you?" Raw hissed when he felt Wyatt's anger over the matter.

Cain grunted. "Yes, and he's the one that managed to break her wrist." One of Jeb's knives was suddenly in his hand and he glanced to the door his eyes deadly serious. She gulped nudging Wyatt with her toe. He glanced at her but made no move to stop him, neither did Raw. Her jaw dropped open when she realized that Gulch might be about to die.

Jeb stood up fluidly. "You guys can't be serious! You can't kill him!" Her voice was anxious.

Cain turned to her his eyes cold. "You'll find Jeb can. He made no promise to keep the man alive and under Ozian law laying a hand on royalty against their consent is an offense punishable by death."

She lunged up at Jeb. "He didn't know that! He didn't even know the storm was a gateway! Jeb wait!" Cain grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him his arms locking around her like a vice.

"Relax Sweetheart, he's not going to kill him." She struggled in his grip not believing him. She kicked her feet in the air and Cain cursed readjusting his arms so she wouldn't fall to the ground. "I don't believe you two! What happened to your self respect?"

"What happened to yours?" Cain's voice snapped at her. "After everything he's done to you and you think he's going to just stop? You don't want me to do this so Jeb will."

She snarled at him. "I can handle him myself damn it!"

"Yes, you've done so well up until now." He said condescendingly.

Rage flashed through her and Raw stood up abruptly. He edged out of the room tugging Jeb with him. Her feet returned to the ground as she planted them firmly her back straitening against his chest. She felt him freeze as the other two men left the house and her posture changed. He was damn lucky she was drained or he may have been blasted across the room by now. She had never had been so pissed off with him.

His arms fell and she stormed out of the room before she could say anything that would cause this situation to spiral out of control. She wrenched the bedroom door open and slammed it closed behind her so hard the frame shuddered. How dare he say something like that to her!

She had been dealing with Gulch for months without his help and did not need him to protect her from that idiot. The sheriff was a pest and a coward who tried to disturb her with insults but other than the one upsetting episode he had never done anything to hurt her. And things worked differently on the Otherside, she wasn't allowed to kill a man because he rubbed her the wrong way.

She heard the door open and snarled without turning around. "Get out!" She was on the edge of completely loosing her temper. One wrong move on his part and this would get nasty fast and she didn't particularly want to go there with Cain. She tended to get… more honest than usual when she was angry. She heard the door close and let out a long breath trying to regain control before she went out to face him.

Then she heard movement behind her and her body went rigid. This man was a glutton for punishment wasn't he? She could feel her rage bubbling higher as he got closer to her and she stepped around the bed keeping space between them. She refused to turn around and look at him thinking it was a poor choice at the moment. She crossed her arms glaring at the floor.

"DG-"

"Don't start Cain." Her voice was sharp. "I need a minute. Please leave."

"No."

She closed her eyes praying for patience she had not been blessed with. She raised her head to look at him. "Do you want to fight with me?" She pointed to the door eyes flashing at his impassive mask. "Get out!"

"No." His voice was calm and the last threads of her control were fraying. "I'd rather we have this out now then let it hang between us. Why are you so angry?" _Snap_.

"Because you are treating me like I can't take care of myself! How dare you treat me like an inferior!" His eyes flashed.

"I am not treating you like an inferior DG! But sometimes you have no sense in that head of yours at all! A man like that could easily turn jealousy into something far more dangerous!" His voice was cold.

"You're right he's an asshole but do you honestly think killing him is the answer? Hurting him? Because that worked so well between you and Zero didn't it?" That struck him like a blow, as she knew it would. But damn it, he was not acting like the man she knew he was. He was better than this. He was allowing Gulch to bring him down to his level. She was not going to let that happen even if it meant some metaphorical bloodshed.

His mask cracked instantly. He was livid, his jaw clenching briefly before he replied. If she hadn't been so angry herself she most likely would have tried to hide from him when he started closing the space between them his voice icy. As it was she stood her ground eyes locked with his unfazed. "You think you know what it was like for me watching that projection? What it was like knowing the man that killed my family was still alive? Do you have any idea how badly it scares me that it could happen again?"

"No, Wyatt." Her voice dropped to a more reasonable level her anger abating somewhat now that they had gotten to the heart of the matter. He was less than a foot away from her his eyes flashing his fists clenched at his sides. "But I know you're better than this. You're letting your fear control you. It's affecting your judgment."

His jaw clenched and he pressed his eyes closed briefly. He took in a long breath before releasing it. His blue eyes came back to her face. "You're right." He conceded quietly. She jerked her head allowing her posture to relax out of its fighting stance. He turned from her and began to pace along the wall of the small room his hand running through his short hair in agitation. "He can't stay here. Jeb can take him back to the palace or you can send him back to Kansas but he's not going to be near you longer than necessary." He looked over at her as her lips compressed into a thin line of irritation at his lack of discussion with her over this. "I'm sorry Sweetheart, but understand… I worry about you."

She huffed torn between anger and understanding. "Fine. I'll see what he wants to do in the morning. If he goes back I'll have to block his memory." She stared blankly at the wall for a second. She had some ethical problems with this considering her own history. "I've never done that before."

Cain moved warily toward her his arm slowly extending to wrap around her hips. She didn't try to stop him but she eyed him in a way that she thought made it clear he was not yet fully forgiven. He tugged her gently to the bed and sat down placing her in his lap and securing her with one arm while the other ran across her jaw. His eyes were apologizing to her and she sighed her acceptance letting her body relax against his chest. She wrapped one of her arms around his neck as she considered him. "I guess we can mark our first big fight off the things to do list."

He snorted and she felt his shoulders loosen up under her arm. "We can. Should have known you could throw your words as well as your fist Darlin." His voice was teasing and his fingers began to dance down her throat. Her lip twitched and she leaned forward cautiously worried he might try to pull away from her. He surprised her by wrapping the fingers that were teasing her throat around the back of her neck and yanking her forward. She whimpered as he crushed her lips against his. Her arm tightened around his neck and her other hand found his face running along his cheek as he parted her lips with his tongue.

When he pulled back just enough for them to breath she could see his eyes shining with lust and amusement. "And now Darlin we can make up can't we?" Her breathing hitched as he said this. Partly because he grabbed her shirt and tore it up over her head a second later. The next thirty seconds or so were spent removing the closest clothing at hand no matter who it might be attached to.

His hands were gliding firmly over her body as they fell onto the bed and she was kissing him as her fingers tangled in the short hair at the back of his neck. She mewled against his mouth wrapping a leg around his thigh and arching against him. He groaned when she rubbed herself against his hardness and pulled his mouth away from hers. His hand reached down and grabbed her tangled leg unhooking it fast as he rolled onto his side. Before she knew exactly what was happening he had flipped her over and pulled her back against his chest spooning her against him.

She turned her head to look at him confused as one of his large hands snuck between the mattress and her body pinning her hips against his. He began to kiss the back of her neck as his other hand stroked between her legs. She sucked in a breath as small jolts of pleasure rocked through her. "Lift your leg up over my hip Sweetheart." Cain instructed heatedly as he gently bit the skin behind her ear.

Whimpering at the added sensation his teeth were producing she did as he said. The hand between her legs inched down parting her folds as he pressed inside her from behind. She let out a loud moan as he began to rock slowly in and out of her. His fingers pressed against her clit in time with his frustratingly slow movements and she pressed her face into the pillow.

Pressing her bottom against him she panted. "Faster, Wyatt."

He kissed the back of her neck the hand holding her hip tightening. His voice was lovingly strained. "Not this time DG. Going to take our time. I want you wound so tight you wont know what hit you when I make you come."

She moaned at that and he continued to tease the back of her neck with his lips and teeth as he kept up a deliberate steady rhythm inside of her. Oh this was going to kill her no doubt about it. She fisted the sheets in her hands whimpering as he brought her up so slowly she was barely aware of it. Feeling him inside her while his chest was pressed up against her back and his lips were on her neck and shoulders was the most exquisite torture. Her arm snaked up behind her to wrap around his neck and she arched unconsciously eyes closing as her breathing became more and more erratic.

Then she was suddenly at the edge and shaking. "Wyatt please…"

He bit her shoulder to get her attention. "Hold on for me Sweetheart. It'll be worth it I promise." She pressed against him teetering for a long minute as he thrust into her his movements never changing. "Are you ready to come DG?" She mewled at him urgently. "Then scream for me Sweetheart." He suddenly pushed into her hard and sent her crashing headlong into euphoria. She thought she called out his name loudly but was so far gone she wasn't even sure what her own name was. Her world filled with lights and she whimpered and moaned unable to stop her orgasm from completely subsiding as he continued to move in her.

He growled pulling her body flat against his as his movements increased in speed. She panted clawing at the sheets. His hand moved between her legs faster. "Again DG." The gruff order had her spiraling out of control a second time in as many minutes as he followed her into bliss moaning her name into her neck. She lay still trying to get air into her lungs because she didn't actually have to form thought to do that.

He pulled out of her with a slick sound and draped his arm over her waist. She let her leg fall back down to the bed. It felt all wobbly, like it was made of jello. Then she tangled her fingers with his and cuddled back against him. "You know-" She said somewhat breathlessly. "-I think we should fight more often. Because the making up part was really good."

He laughed softly into her hair. "Go to sleep Darlin. I'm sure we can find something to argue about in the mornin."

Author Note: Hey guys! Finished a paper early and got to write my story! I'm so happy! Know what else makes me happy? I bet you can guess. It involves that button over there on the left…


	25. Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I wanna own it so bad!!! Why! Why?... Ok I'm all better.

For the first time in almost five weeks she didn't wake up screaming or shivering. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as diffused light came dancing through the curtains. She was now so used to being either disoriented or frightened when she woke up that she was utterly confused as to why she felt somewhat normal. She simply lay there unmoving for a while processing this new development.

Wyatt had somehow managed to twist her in the night so that her face was tucked against his neck and her body was pressed against his chest, her leg was tangled in between his. One of his arms was wrapped around her shoulders while the other rested on the small of her back. She felt as if she had been cocooned or something. Not that she was complaining.

She grinned snuggling even closer to him and he muttered his arms tightening before he relaxed back into sleep. Content she let her mind wander over what they needed to do next. Other than dealing with Gulch they had to head north or south. Both palaces were about the same distance from where they were and to be honest she dreaded going north.

Her dreams of what had happened there and the very real feeling of despair and cold that accompanied them made her wary. Her mind raced, did she want to put it off or get it over with? Maybe getting another piece of herself would make her feel braver about the frozen wasteland… or not. Now she was just trying to avoid the issue, she turned her head more fully into Cain's neck annoyed with herself for being afraid of a freaking building.

When her eyes closed she felt it. She lifted her head slightly in amazement. She let a small amount of her light out and let the tips of her fingers graze the Tin Man's chest. Her light responded to the missing bit of her soul and began to pulse gently. She caught her breath when she felt it and wondered how in the name of Dorothy she hadn't felt it earlier. It was all but singing in contentment. While it didn't try to repel her light it made absolutely no effort to move toward her dancing around where it was joyfully.

She felt Cain shift and thinking he was still asleep remained as she was, eyes closed listening to her soul sing with her magic. This was so weirdly comforting her hand began to relax lowering slowly until her palm was flat against him. Then she felt his hand move over hers and she broke the link her eyes snapping open. She felt disoriented and her body felt oddly heavy. She sighed pressing her face against his neck harder breathing him in. Somehow it made the separation easier.

The arm around her shoulder stroked her lightly. "Darlin?"

"Sorry." She mumbled into his skin. "I don't know how I missed it before. I think you do weird things to my higher brain function most of the time."

She felt him smile as he pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed her palm. "It's good to know I'm not the only one affected DG." His lips worked their way up to the tips of her fingers before he kissed her wrist and placed her hand back where he had found it. "You're not shivering today Sweetheart." She could hear the relief in his tone and kissed the skin next to her lips earning herself a small rumble.

"I'm going to blame you for that. If your career as my bodyguard doesn't work out I will so hire you as my new blanket."

He snorted running one of his hands down her exposed cheek. "I think I can handle both duties Princess. Although I may need to ask you for a pay raise."

Damn she loved it when he let his humor come out to play. She tilted her head back her lip twitching like crazy. "Sorry all I can offer you are some added benefits. You know health plan, dental, extra day vacation time. Whatcha think? Going to stick around or do I need to find somebody else?"

His eyes twinkled down at her. He gave a mighty sigh. "I suppose if that's the best you can do I'll have to take it won't I?"

She laughed softly and shimmied up so she could kiss him. His smile stayed in place as he held her against him and rolled her onto her back. Her laughter got louder when his fingers tickled her ribs. His head came up and he look at her his eyes shinning and his fingers continued to torment her now that he'd found her weak spot. "No! You're so mean Wyatt Cain!" She gasped trying to wriggle away.

He chuckled down at her as she thrashed and in desperation she threw her elbow on the mattress hooked a leg over his hips and flipped them both over. Unfortunately she flipped the wrong way and they teetered on the edge of the small bed for a second both of them flailing before they tumbled off and onto the floor.

They landed with a thud tangled up hopelessly with one another. She lay unmoving for a moment after Cain grunted from the impact and started laughing hysterically. She really couldn't move, between Cain and part of the blanket that made the short trip with them it was practically impossible. "Darlin you're a hazard." He sighed somewhere above her head.

She started shaking silently unable to even make noise she was laughing so hard. She gasped fighting for air feeling the Tin Man struggling to get up. Only she could end up like this. Cain grumbled, "Are you going to help me or just lie there laughin?"

She pulled weakly at the blanket once before letting her hand drop. Wyatt grunted sensing defeat and tugged hard on the blanket letting it drop completely off the bed. She was immediately surrounded by fabric as it fell over her head and she batted at it as her body convulsed.

Then the blanket was yanked off of her and she blinked as light hit her eyes. Cain managed to sit up and lifted her leg and pushed it off his chest and onto his legs. She gasped fighting for control, as she lay sprawled awkwardly on the floor. He huffed down at her pretending to be annoyed as he reached around her hauling her up. She wrapped her hands around her his upper arms holding on for the ride. She giggled kissing his nose when he glared at her.

She made a choice quickly and decided to go with it because she wanted to do this and it would be fun to do it now. She tilted her head and decided to completely throw him off his game this morning. Because waking him up with her magic as she listened to her soul inside of him and knocking him off the bed wasn't enough to get the bewildered face from him. "Wyatt?" She said innocently.

He gazed at her suspiciously as he held her. "Yes, Sweetheart?"

She locked eyes with him happily. "Marry me." Oh score. There it was, jaw drop included.

"What?" He managed flabbergasted.

She snorted and smiled at him. "I'm proposing to you. Should I have gotten down on one knee? Hard to do when you always have me in your lap like this."

His blue eyes were searching her face thoughts rushing across them. "You couldn't let me ask could you?" He finally answered his hand running over her hair. He was gazing at her adoringly and she hummed satisfied that she knew what his answer was going to be.

"Nope, that wouldn't have been any fun for me at all. And you still haven't answered me." She wrapped her legs around his waist as she said this waiting for his answer.

He grabbed her kissing her softly and she melted against him. He leaned back his hand cupping her face. "Yes, DG."

She lit up at his answer. Literally… she started glowing as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He let her breath when she whimpered softly and gave her a full out 'I love DG' smile. Hand twining with hers and chuckling at the light radiating off her. She suddenly felt tears prickling unexpectedly at the back of her eyes. "I love you." She whispered.

He opened his mouth hand still on her face when she heard footsteps in the hallway. Her head snapped around and she scrambled off him snatching for her shirt as he grabbed his gun that was resting on the floor next to the headboard. Tugging the shirt over her head quickly she compressed her light until it only escaped from her palms and waited tensely.

There was a pause as the owner of the footsteps stood outside the door. Cain cocked the gun right before they heard a knock on the door. "Dad?"

Cain jerked his gun up toward the ceiling letting the hammer fall back into place as he relaxed his posture. "Yes, Jeb?" He set the gun down and scooped up his pants from the messy pile they had made stepping into them. She let her light retreat as the tension drained away from her. She began to dress quietly as well sending out a false hope that Jeb did not know what they were doing in here. She wasn't stupid and neither was Jeb but she could pretend.

When he started talking she could hear the amusement thick in his voice, her hopes of pretending flew out the window. "Are you ever going to get up or would you rather I let you spend the rest of the morning with DG?"

She threw her boot at the door in retribution as Cain raised his eyes to the ceiling as if looking for guidance from above his face flushing again. "We'll be out in a minute Son." Cain replied blandly.

She heard him rest his weight on the doorframe as he settled himself. It occurred to her that Jeb had a well-developed sense of how to prod his father without getting shot. That and a very firm grasp of the ways in which to wield sarcasm. "Oh of course. No hurry or anything, not like we need to discuss what to do with that slipper or where any of us are heading. Tell me DG do you always keep him in bed this late in the day?"

She pulled on a sock grinning wickedly. Two could play that game although Cain would most likely strangle her for this. "I wouldn't have to if he let me sleep at night. He's really very affectionate you know."

She heard two simultaneous strangled sounds. Cain was looking at her in embarrassed horror and she could only assume Jeb had the same expression on his face. "What no witty retort out there? Let that be a lesson to you Captain. Mess with the Princess and get burned!" She called out jovially.

"You're not a good person Princess." Jeb sighed. "That was not something I wanted to think about. I'll see you two at breakfast, we're eating in the town hall." She heard his footsteps retreating and stood to retrieve her boot.

Cain finished dressing as she waited shooting her the most endearingly mortified glances. She grinned at him serenely loving every moment of this. "DG that was really not-"

"Oh it was so necessary. Not appropriate at all of course but Jeb got the hint." Cain rolled his eyes and was about to say something else before she derailed him again. "Besides we needed to get dressed before you told him we're getting married. Might be better if he's already speechless before you drop that bomb."

He put his fedora on shaking his head as he walked over to her. "You're going to be the death of me Sweetheart." He gave her a peck on the lips and opened the door. "Come on, time for breakfast."

They left the house and she grabbed his non-gun hand as they walked down the street. He gave her a sideways glance his lip twitching at her. What? As of fifteen minutes ago they were engaged, she was going to hold his hand. They reached the largest building in Milltown and heard voices inside. It sounded like the cafeteria at her old high school except most of the voices were male and older.

He held the door open for her as his eyes swept the room quickly. Satisfied that it was safe they walked over to Jeb, Raw and her Roboparents hands still entwined. She noticed a number of covert looks and suppressed a smile. She sat on the old bench next to Momster and grinned evilly at Jeb who rolled his eyes and pointed his fork at her. "You play dirty Princess. I won't forget that."

She snorted and grabbed a piece of toast from a plate in the center of the table as Cain sat down next to Jeb. Popsicle was eying Jeb as if he had stated the grass was indeed green. Raw stopped chewing and gazed at the young man knowingly. "DG likes Jeb. How she shows it." His warm eyes looked at her as he patted her hand. She grumbled into her toast and Jeb blushed lightly. Jeb was supposed to work that out on his own. Cain chuckled his eyes running over the room again finally resting on Gulch who was sitting with Father Viewer and listening intently to whatever it was he was being told.

Jeb followed his father's eye line. "Look, I don't know what he did to start this thing between you three but my men told me he helped fight off the Longcoats. And from what I understand he saved at least two of them."

Cain turned his eyes to Jeb in disbelief. Jeb shrugged at his father continuing. "They have no reason to lie to me. And he's got a nice scare across his temple to prove it. If he doesn't want to go back to the Otherside I'd be willing to keep an eye on him. He doesn't have much training but I can fix that fast. He certainly isn't afraid of a fight, I can work with that."

She raised an eyebrow at the young man. Raw rumbled in agreement with Jeb. "Man struggling to find purpose. Might find that with fighters. Should listen to son Cain."

The Tin Man's ice blue eyes locked with the warm brown eyes of the viewer. He was silent for a long time. "You're sure he won't hurt anyone?" Cain's voice was level as he spoke to Raw. It was obvious to her that he was willing to trust the seer but he had to be sure that what he was saying was true. Raw closed his eyes letting his posture relax as he read Gulch from a distance.

"Strives for order. Senses chaos here. In heart wants to fix. Was bored before." Raw opened his eyes. "Man could make good soldier." His warm eyes turned to Jeb. "Jeb can teach this."

Cain nodded slowly his attention turning to her. She chewed the last bite of her toast slowly reaching to get some juice. She trusted Raw as well and thought it was only fair that Gulch get a new start here as well. She took a drink, set the glass down and stood up from the table. "I'll see what he wants to do."

She walked over to the sheriff feeling Cain's eyes on her back as she sat down across the table from him. His dark eyes came up to hers and he gave her a weak smile. "This is a very strange place DG." His smile faltered. "Those men were going to kill the people here weren't they?" She saw it then. The man was tired and afraid. The fight yesterday had given him a serious reality check.

She gave him a heartfelt sigh. "Yes, they want to kill anyone that defied the witch. The people here have been through a very rough fifteen years. Now that the royal family is back in power things have stabilized but the remaining resistors aren't going down easily."

"You mean you and your family." He picked at the food on his plate idly as he said this.

She twitched. It was so wrong that she barely even categorized them that way in her own mind unless they were in the room with her. "Yes, although I can't say I've done as much as the King and Queen. I don't have the training to run a country."

Gulch's eyes moved to her Robparents and then back to her. "Not close with the real one's then?"

She leaned back feeling guilty because it was true. "I don't know them very well yet." She decided to turn this conversation back to him. "Look Elmer, I have two options for you and you need to pick one in the next hour or so because I have to leave."

He focused on her listening. She continued. "I can send you back to Kansas and you can go back to your life or you can stay here. Jeb said you could join up with his regiment."

"Why would he offer that?" She stared at him hard. He was genuinely interested in this.

"His men told him you fought yesterday and saved a few of them. He's an honorable man, he wanted to give you a place in this realm if you want it."

Elmer nodded mulling this over. He set his fork down then looked back at her. "I spent most of yesterday talking to the Floater." He indicated Father Viewer who was moving around the room talking to the townsfolk and soldiers. "He told me what's happened here. He told me what you did. Who that man Cain really is." She crossed her arms on the table feeling uncomfortable. "I'd like to stay. There's nothing left for me back in Kansas but endless days in a patrol car and paperwork. At least here I can do something other than stare at flat fields."

"If that's what you want I'll let Jeb know." She stood up from the table. "Good luck Elmer. This place is different but it feels more like home to me than Kansas ever did. I hope it feels the same way for you." She turned as he nodded to her and walked back to her place at the breakfast table.

Jeb raised an eyebrow. "He said he wants to stay." Jeb grunted turning back to his food. Cain was silent as she stared past his shoulder lost in thought. She wasn't going to worry about Gulch anymore. She refocused to find Cain's eyes on her face. "I think I want to go to Finaqua first unless you had another plan."

Cain grunted. "That's as good an idea as any. At least we'll be warm for a while longer." His glanced at Jeb and she got the hint a smile playing across her face. She winked at the Tin Man and waited.

He grumbled under his breath rotating one of his shoulders as he prepared himself. "Son, could I talk to you outside?" Jeb looked up chewing. He saw the small signs of nervousness from his father and his eyes darted to her. She picked her glass back up and smiled behind it as she took a drink. Jeb's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he stood.

As they walked away the young man glanced at her over his shoulder. She waved jauntily at him and he shook his head leaning over to Cain. She wondered what he said to his father that caused Cain to let out such a loud bark of laughter. She rolled her eyes thinking that he was going to have the second shock of the morning as soon as Cain got him alone. She felt a smile forming on her face. This was going to be fun to hear about. She didn't doubt that it would be hard to rip the story out of Wyatt but she was determined. She figured she could out stubborn even him.

Author Note: Finally found an internet connection! Sorry about the wait I'll try to post again as soon as I can! Leave me a review!


	26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: …. I don't even want to say it anymore… It's so damn depressing.

Popsicle passed her some eggs as she glanced toward the door. She was getting nervous; they'd been out there forever. Raw rumbled and leaned against her companionably. "Not used to feeling DG so nervous. What wrong?"

She laughed softly. "I'll tell you in a few minutes. Jeb needs to know first." She wrapped her hand around his and tried to wait more patiently. She failed miserably of course. She began to fidget soon after and was making poor Raw nervous.

The seer finally had enough of her and tugged her to her feet. "Come outside. Walk. Making Raw's fur stand on end." She followed him feeling ridiculous as he lead her out the back entrance. Sighing she walked out and headed to someone's back porch perching herself on the railing. She gazed at her furry friend and gave him a nervous smile.

"I can break our connection now Raw." Distractions were good.

Raw held out his hands to her and she extended her own hand in response. "If DG not care… Raw not want spell broken."

She looked at him confused. "Why? Doesn't it give you a headache or something?"

Raw squeezed her hand and she rested her head on a beam next to her as they talked. "Raw likes to know when DG in trouble. When DG safe. Can't help if not know."

Her heart warmed at his words and she felt very loved but she was more worried that this binding might be hurting her gentle friend. Raw shook his head emphatically. "Not hurt. Took time to adjust but Raw understand now. Can control."

She lifted her head and nodded. "Ok Raw. If it doesn't hurt you that's fine with me." He stroked her hand purring at her. She grinned at him. "So now that you've found me what are you going to do?"

"Raw come to help DG. That what Raw will do. We go to Finaqua again?"

She bounced off the railing and threw her arms around him laughing. "Really? Raw you're the best!" He laughed at her enthusiasm patting her back before setting her back on her feet.

"I get to look after you again Furball?" Cain sauntered over to them through the back door with Jeb close behind. She stepped away from Raw shooting a worried look at the young man. He walked up to her and stopped in front of her his eyes meeting hers very seriously. She rubbed the back of her leg with her foot nervously.

Then he grabbed her in a bear hug and all the air she had in her lungs was forced out. He twirled her around and she wrapped her arms around his neck screeching at him. He just laughed spinning her faster. He set her down and she staggered back like a drunk. Wyatt caught her from behind before she could fall on her butt. She heard and felt his laughter as the world tried to steady itself. "Bad Jeb! Now everything's all spinny!"

He laughed as she pushed off of Cain and planted her feet. Jeb walked back over to her with a grin on his face. "I can't believe you proposed to him." She heard Raw let out a surprised growl to her left. Jeb leaned down and kissed her cheek lightly. "But I'm glad you did. Take care of him."

She blushed horribly but managed a to wink at him. "Duh." Jeb shook his head at her and smacked his father on the shoulder before going back inside. She tried not to sag in relief at Jeb's support but figured she screwed that up pretty good. Cain pulled her against him again and rumbled softly as he propped his chin on her head.

"Feel better now Sweetheart? I told you he liked you." She huffed but rested her arms on top of his. Cain turned his head and she felt her nicely brushed hair tangling. "Let's hear it then Furball." He sighed.

Raw just chuckled and gave Cain a knowing look. "Raw thinks DG needs ring. Cain wants her marked as his." Cain muttered under his breath and she rolled her eyes at him.

"You want me marked? This is a guy thing isn't it?" She asked mostly amused.

His arms held her closer. "No, I don't want anyone thinking any less of you for sharing my bed."

His voice was to level. She so didn't believe him. "You're such a liar. Besides… I might want you marked too Cowboy." Hey, he wasn't the only one that could be territorial. He stilled behind her before he let out a snort of amusement. She tilted her head up so she could see his face. "So what kind of rings do you want?"

"What?"

"Rings." She said slowly. He raised an eyebrow impatiently. "I was going to make some. You know magic… What kind do you want?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "You're not making your own engagement ring."

"Why not?"

He glared down at her. "Because I said so." She could almost hear him digging his heels in.

"Fine. What do you suggest then?" She was going to give him this one. If he wanted to get her a ring she wasn't going to turn that down. It was all romantic and adorable. Besides she kinda liked surprises.

He sighed dramatically down at her. "Let me worry about that Darlin." She huffed up at him. And he smirked at her so she decided to ignore him. She looked back Raw who was grinning at them as they bickered.

"Well if you're not going to let me be involved in this I'm going to go pack our stuff and say bye to Momster and Popsicle." He let her go and she went up her toes kissing his jaw before she trotted off to the house where they'd been staying. It didn't take her long to pack the few belongings they had and as much food as she could fit into their packs.

She threw her pack over her shoulder and held Cain's in her arms as she exited the house. Raw was waiting for her outside with her Roboparents. She set both packs down on the bottom step and hugged Momster fiercely. "Be careful Pumpkin."

"I always try to be."

Popsicle chuckled at her as he drew her into his arms. "We know but you tend to loose focus at the first shiny object you encounter." Raw growled in amusement.

"Unfair! That only happened three times!" Momster crossed her arms pulling her sweater closer as a small smile tugged at her lips. Raw motioned down the street and she saw Cain and Jeb walking toward them with three horses in tow. She glanced back at her foster parents. "I'll miss you guys! See you soon!" She leaned in hugging them both whispering. "I'm sure the wedding invitations will be out soon at any rate."

She grabbed their packs and skipped away from an exasperated Momster and a thunderstruck Popsicle. Raw followed after her and she handed Wyatt his pack as she secured her own behind her patient mare. She was going to be sore again, damn it. She took the reins from Jeb with a smile. "Thanks."

His eyes twinkled. "You're welcome. Be careful and don't worry about the slipper. I think he and I will have a grand time together."

She put her hands on her hips. "Don't be too mean alright? He's not that bad just kind of an idiot." He shrugged before taking her free hand in his and kissing it gently. She smiled pleased and grateful she and young captain got along. "See ya down the road Jeb." She stepped back and hauled herself up into the saddle.

Cain hugged Jeb tightly before getting on his own horse. Once they were set Cain tipped his hat to her Roboparents and turned to his son. "Keep sharp and try to stay out of trouble."

Jeb and her foster parents waved them off as Cain led them out of town and into the forest. They had been traveling for over an hour in a generally southern direction weaving around the large trees. Her curiosity finally got the better of her. "How do you always know where you are?" She had given up on guessing about this and wanted to know.

The Tin Man glanced back at her with an eyebrow raised. "I was taught to know where I am."

Her brow furrowed as she processed this. "Yeah, but I thought you worked in Central City before. Do they teach all Tin Men how to navigate around the Outer Zone?"

Cain grunted as he turned back around. "No. I didn't learn wilderness training in the academy."

She rolled her eyes at him. "You're really going to make me ask for clarification aren't you?" Raw chuckled as there horses wound there way around a fallen tree.

Cain turned back around looking bemused. "Sorry Sweetheart. I'm not used to people asking questions unless they want to use the information I give them." She inserted the 'for not good reasons' into the thought herself. "The academy teaches cadets about laws and procedures and what they should expect to see in the city. Not many Tin Men leave the city after training and those that do usually have family in the part of the realm they get assigned to so they don't need to learn much else. They have a pretty good knowledge of the place they'll be protectin."

"So you learned this, what, while you were working for the Mystic Man?"

He shook his head. "No, good guess though Darlin. The Mystic Man stayed in the city most of the time. I learned it from my father. He was a merchant and my family traveled around the realm while I was growing up. He knew just about every stream and hiding place you could imagine, including the magic ones. Taught me where they were and how to take care of myself in the woods."

She tilted her head intrigued. "Really? That must have been exciting. How'd you end up as a Tin Man?"

Cain snorted. "Are you trying to get my whole history in one sitting?"

She bit her lip feeling guilty. She was curious and tended to forget how persistent she could be when she found something interesting. She should have known better than to prod the private man so much. She stayed quiet as she guided her mare after Cain's horse. He glanced back at her his cool eyes flicking over her guilty face then shooting back to Raw. "I was only teasing DG." His voice was soft and her eyes went up to his questioningly. She wasn't used to him teasing her in front of anyone; it had thrown her.

She nodded smiling slightly at him. She pressed on fighting her embarrassment over the awkward moment. "And the Tin Man thing?"

He was still eyeing her quietly as he answered. "I was tired of moving around so much when I was Jeb's age and didn't want to be a merchant. Wasn't for me. I didn't want to be bored either." He shrugged. "I'd met a few Tin Men when I was young and liked them. Understood what they did and why they did it. Figured I could be happy helping people, so I joined up when we stopped in Central City." He paused for a moment considering his next thought. "I met Adora a few months later and we got married the next spring. Then we had Jeb and the war started a few years after that. You know the rest."

She gave him an understanding smile knowing he was uncomfortable talking about his past with Adora. She didn't want him thinking that it was wrong for him to talk about her. That would have been both insulting and selfish of her and honestly from what she'd managed to gather about the woman she had been both clever and brave. She saw no reason for Wyatt to add guilt onto his conscience thinking that this subject bothered her. "How'd your family take it when you told them you wanted to be a Tin Man?"

He was analyzing her reaction to the story. She could tell he was slightly astonished that she was unfazed by the mention of Adora. She didn't know why, she had been with him through the worst of finding out what had happened to her. His intense stare was starting to make her skin crawl. "What?"

He shook his head slightly and answered her question. "I don't think they were all that surprised. They certainly didn't say anything against it but I think it made my mother nervous."

She grinned. "Yeah, moms have a tendency to worry about their children doing dangerous things. I should know I have two."

Cain snorted and Raw chuckled at that. Raw shook his head. "DG does manage to find danger." The viewer sighed sadly.

She shrugged. "I like to think trouble generally knows where I am most of the time."

"Truer words have never been spoken Darlin."

She huffed. "So how long until we make it to the magical waters of wonder great navigator?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Lovely, over a full day in the saddle. I'm so thrilled."

Cain chuckled wickedly. "True, but just think, after that it'll take us five days in the saddle to get to the Ice Palace. And it'll be cold the last day."

"Cain…"

"Yes Sweetheart?"

"I don't want to marry you anymore. You're a bad man."

He threw his head back laughing as she glared at the back of his head. She bet her butt would actually fall off. Then he would sorry because she would never shut up about it. She really missed her motorcycle.

Author Note: I want reviews people! Come on! I just wrote you a whole chapter on vacation and had to face scary office people so I could access the internet. Show some love for the fox! Thanks!


	27. Chapter 27

Disclaimer: I don't own the pants but…but…I want the pants! Bring them to me!

They made camp at nightfall and she tumbled off her horse gratefully. It made her feel better to see that Raw was about as comfortable as she was. Then that thought made her feel bad so she shook it off as she untied her pack and tossed it down by the base of a large tree.

Cain did have a way of picking pretty spots to sleep. He had managed to find a secluded clearing next to a small but deep stream that was surrounded by the giant trees they had been maneuvering around all day. He had vanished a moment ago to scout the area and she and Raw were busily making the place habitable. Raw took care of the horses as she cleared them a place to sleep and made a small fire pit. It was a pity Glitch wasn't here because they would have had their canteens full by the time she was done. As it was she returned to their packs to take care of that herself.

Walking down to the stream she began to fill the containers when she heard a noise. She didn't stop what she was doing but continued with her task listening intently and sending out the strongest alert emotions she could toward the viewer. She heard Raw moving behind her at the same time she saw something reflected in the water. Except it wasn't a reflection. Something was staring at her from below the surface. She screamed hurling herself backward as possibly the weirdest thing she had seen since she arrived in the Outer Zone rose up out of the water.

It resembled a really big snake, sorta. Except it had two small arms and really pointy teeth. And it was at least twice as big as her as it rose up out of the water and hovered over her. She scrambled backward her magic flaring as the large sand colored creature came down and rested its small arms and coiling body on the bank of the stream. Raw growled loudly grabbing her jacket collar and hauling her backward. The horses where as scared as she was and were pulling madly at the ropes that had them tethered to the trees.

"What the hell is that?" She snarled throwing a shield between it and them. As she did the Tin Man crashed back into the clearing with his gun drawn. He assessed the situation with amazing speed as he ran to them his eyes taking in the strange creature. He lowered his gun slightly as he helped her to her feet never taking his eyes from it.

"Calm down Sweetheart." He said unruffled by this surprise development. "It's a Sand Skimmer."

Yes, because that explained everything. "A what?"

"A water dragon. They guard rivers and lakes the way the Papay guard the fields. It probably felt your magic. They're very curious creatures."

Her eyes darted to him quickly then back to the Skimmer. "Are they dangerous?"

"Are the Papay?" Good point. She lowered her shield fully ready to put it back up instantly should it try anything. Raw rumbled cocking his head to the side when the creature murmured oddly at them. It apparently decided to get comfortable as it settled itself. It coiled up shaking its neck and a strange spiny mane flared out from its neck when it moved flashing blue and green before it was flattened back down.

"Not mean harm. Wants to talk." Raw stated firmly. Cain nodded lowering his gun although he didn't holster it. Still feeling on edge, because the thing had _jumped out of the river_ at her, she slowly sat down out of its reach as it regarded her.

"What exactly would you like to talk about?" She was not entirely sure what to make of this thing. This was beyond what she had dealt with before but Cain and Raw didn't seem all that worried about it so she tried to relax and be polite.

It burbled using one small arm to point at Raw. She sighed knowing what it wanted and grabbed the viewer as he went to move forward. "You can only talk to him if you promise not to hurt him." The Skimmer's eyes turned to her and assessed her seriously. It tilted its head green eyes glinting before lowering its head in compliance. She let go of Raw and he went to the strange thing holding a gloved hand out to it. It extended its neck until it's scaly cheek rested against his palm.

Raw closed his warm brown eyes and rumbled as he read the creature. After a time he drew back turning to her concerned. "Knows many things. Watches from river. Recognizes DG magic. Knows Princess. Wants to trade information for safety of younglings."

She raised and eyebrow looking up at Wyatt. He pushed his hat up as he gave the Skimmer a once over. "Is it tellin the truth?"

Raw rumbled an affirmative. "Yes. Worried about unborn eggs. Needs safe place to have them. Would not lie about this. Too much at stake."

She stood up and moved slowly toward the apparently female dragon. She stopped in front of it and crouched down. "You don't need to trade me anything to keep your children safe. What is it you think I can do for you?"

The light brown head swayed in confusion as the female regarded her. Raw sighed. "She not understand why DG say this."

She looked the dead into the green cat-like eyes. "There should be no price for the safety of children. I would help you even if you had nothing to tell me." She shrugged. "If you still wish to give me information I wont turn you away but I hardly think it's right to force anything from you."

The water dragon turned to Raw murmuring softly. After a moment the seer nodded. "Wants to stay in Finaqua water while babies grow. Promises to cause no harm to anyone there and to leave once younglings are old enough to care for selves."

"That's fine. Can you wait another day until you enter the lake? I want to be sure no one there hurts you. I'll need to tell them you and your young are under my protection." The Skimmer nodded empathetically before once again turning to Raw and rushing through another long set of sounds. She waited patiently as Raw listened intently to more than the noises escaping the snake.

When Raw turned back to her his eyes were worried. "Thanks you for this… Gave news to Raw anyway. Has seen many Longcoats pass by big river downstream. Afraid they would hunt her so hid under log as they passed. Heading toward mountains. She not know why."

Cain had moved behind her. "How many?"

Raw shook his head in dismay. "She says as many as she has scales."

She sucked in a breath as Cain cursed. From the reports she had heard that would mean the majority of the resistors were now together. This was so not good. Turning back to the dragon she extended her hand. The soon to be mother pressed her neck against it as her head came up so it was level with hers. "Thank you for this. I'll make sure the realm is notified. Do you need any help getting to Finaqua?" The Skimmer shook her head and drew back bowing her head as she backed into the water. She burbled once more to the seer before she turned and vanished with barely a ripple below the surface.

"She grateful. Will tell other Skimmers of kindness. Says this place safe to sleep." Raw stood looking at the dark stream. She pushed her hair behind her ear thinking fast. They were heading for the mountains…

"Cain the only mountains between us and anything downstream-"

"Are the ones around the Ice Palace." His voice had a razor edge to it. "Is there a way to contact your parents with your magic DG?"

She stood up worried and thinking fast. She didn't meet his eyes when she started talking. "Not my parents. I'm not… close enough to them. I should be able to contact Az. I've never tried this before." She walked over to one of the trees and sat crossing her legs and pulling her pack over to her. She dug around not finding anything useful. "Damn… Do either of you have a mirror?"

The Tin Man gave her a look. She rolled her eyes at him turning hopefully to Raw. He walked over to his own pack, which he had been given earlier that day by her foster parents and his hand emerged with a palm-sized mirror. He handed it to her with a triumphant grin and she snorted at him. "Thanks."

Focusing her light into the mirror she thought of her sister intently. She heard Cain and Raw settle down next to her as her magic searched for her sister. She muttered when she felt her and focused doubly hard on making her image appear on a reflective surface near her. She opened her eyes and saw Az's bedroom in her own tiny mirror. Az was sitting at her vanity head turned as she talked to someone. Well that was convenient. "Az!"

Her sister's head snapped around and she gasped nearly toppling off her chair. Her eyes widened to amazing size and her mouth dropped open. "Deege?" She saw a flash of movement over her sister's shoulder and then Glitch was looking at her as well. Cain and Raw were leaning over both of her shoulders. She snorted at the picture they must be making.

"How did you manage to do this Doll?" Glitch tapped the mirror gently intrigued. "I thought you didn't know anything about dimensional warps in small scale transitional messaging systems. Is that Raw?" She blinked sidetracked.

"That's what that means? Why couldn't you just say mirror communication?"

Glitch opened his mouth but Cain cut him off. "DG!"

"Oh, sorry. Emergency situation. We found out a bunch of Longcoats are gathering up in the mountains around the Ice Palace. You need to let Mother know."

Az and Glitch stared at her. Cain barked in annoyance. "Tell them now!" Az jumped and Glitch shook his head.

"How many are there and how did you find this out?" Glitch asked quickly.

"Uhhh Sand Skimmer. And a whole lot, I'm betting most of them actually."

Az opened her mouth then closed it reconsidering. "A water dragon told you?"

Raw rumbled next to her. "Yes, clever dragon. Tell truth."

"You have strange ways Deege."

"Tell me about it. You need to tell our parents. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold the spell. Oh and tell them we have a new Skimmer in the lake at Finaqua no one's aloud to mess with."

Glitch had started to turn when she said the last part. He froze his mouth falling open. "What now?"

"The Princess granted her safe haven. Now go already!" Cain was out of patience. She thought it might have something to do with the fact that she had started to sway, the spell was making her feel disoriented. He had placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from falling over.

"Sorry, I can't hold it any longer. I'll try to contact you when we get to Finaqua. Bye guys."

Az placed a hand on the side of the mirror talking fast. "Be safe DG. Next time I'll be ready to help hold the spell so we can talk longer." She smiled tiredly at her sister as the image flashed once before it disappeared completely leaving her looking at their dark reflections. She sighed letting her hands drop to her lap and her head fall forward. Wyatt caught her before she could fall over completely.

He sighed motioning for Raw. "Make sure she doesn't give herself a concussion while I start a fire Furball." Standing as the viewer held her he left searching for firewood. She raised one hand and pressed the palm of it to her forehead.

"DG feel dizzy." Raw said unnecessarily.

"Yeah, that felt way weird." She leaned into the seer relaxing as he moved her hand and replaced it with his own. She felt his gift flow into her as he hummed softly. She felt her eyes drifting shut as his gift made her feel even groggier. She yawned as Cain walked back into the camp arms full of firewood. His lip twitched when he saw her and he started the fire with swift efficiency.

He grabbed food out of their packs and an old traveling skillet and began to throw things in it. Raw removed his hand and helped her prop herself back against the tree. That was better, now she could talk again while she waited for Wyatt to feed her. "Ok, question."

Cain snorted as he stirred whatever it was he was cooking. "When do you not have a question?"

She stopped herself from saying something inappropriate since Raw was here. The viewer chuckled sensing the direction of her thoughts. "Was that weird or is it just me?"

Raw laughed out loud and the Tin Man shook his head. "The _weird_ thing about that was the fact that you promised a Skimmer safety for nothing."

She huffed at him. "Why?"

Raw rumbled happily. "Skimmer think humans dangerous so always offer trade. DG wise to refuse offer. Make ally."

She rolled her eyes. "Ok, I'm officially ordering someone to write me a book about this place… Is the food done?"

Cain lowered his head shaking it as his lip twitched. She pointed to him in warning. "You should be careful about doing that near a fire. One wrong move and poof! Bye bye fedora." He sighed dramatically eyeing her.

"I'm going to have to feed you to make you stop talking aren't I, Darlin?"

"Yup. Hungry Princess."

He grabbed a bowl scooped what appeared to be stew into it and handed it to her. "Eat then sleep." He ordered. "We have to leave early tomorrow so no one kills your new friend." She saw amusement flash across his face. "First Papay then Sand Skimmers. I'm not sure what to expect next with you."

Before she took a bite she grinned impishly correcting him. "Actually it was more like Headcase, Tin Man, Seer. But who's keeping track?" Raw chuckled next to her and Cain simply took off his hat giving up as he filled two more bowls.

Author Note: Lalalalala I love spring break! I'm warm and happy. Leave me a review my loves.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: …pants…

Once she finished eating she pushed herself away from the tree and trotted down to the stream to clean her bowl. Returning to camp she grabbed her bedroll and spread it out next to the fire before plopping down onto it. Yawning she tugged off her boots more than pleased that she could now do that without help. While she was snuggling down into her blanket Raw and Cain were cleaning up the cooking mess.

A few minutes later and the fire had been banked and both men had their own bedding laid out. She smiled when Cain unrolled his blanket next to her and laid down placing his hat over his face and his gun next to his hand. She wriggled backward until she was pressed up against his side and he grunted softly as she got comfortable. "Enough movin over there." She giggled softly as she let her body loosen enough for her to sleep on the ground.

She opened her eyes finding herself in a place she had never wanted to be again. She stood stumbling backward for a moment before the back of her legs hit the lip of the cave seal she had so carelessly broken as a child. She tumbled back out of the ancient carved mouth that had once held the witch's power at bay. She gouged her hands on the jagged rocks as she tried to catch herself on the way down. As she hit the ground she heard an all to familiar cackle coming from the depths of the cave.

Hands stinging like mad her head shot up. "Oh dear the little light fell down." She hissed in rage as the reason for all her nightmares stepped out of the shadows. Hoots and shouts rained down from the darkness as the crone's mobats taunted her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

"You're dead, Witch!" She glared at apparition.

The witch approached her slowly and her light flared in her bleeding hands as she drew closer. Grinning grossly down at her with her ancient face that oozed self-assurance. "Do you really think you will ever be rid of me Princess? I may have controlled your sister but you were the one that heard me. The only one that could ever really hope to understand me." She reached out a crooked hand stroking her cheek. She shuddered in disgust as the witch's cool wrinkled skin rubbed against her. "Think of what we could have done together. Think of what you could do with the army I left you… They want a new mistress."

She yanked her head away. "No, they want power."

The crone chuckled again closing her hand before opening it to reveal a piece of her missing soul. "You search for these meaningless specks of light. All they do is suppress the darkness that wants to submit to your wishes. The darkness within you can give you the power to control the soldiers. Use it."

"No, I'm not you." She forced the words out.

She witch threw her head back and cackled. "Little Fool. The damage is already done… you are me."

Fear and guilt rolled over her. "No!" The light that had been building in her hands blasted outward engulfing the witch and lighting up the cave.

"DG, what the hell?!?" She was jolted awake as Wyatt shouted and shoved her roughly across the ground.

She scrambled up taking in the Tin Man's very worried face and the destroyed campsite. Raw was struggling to his feet; she had missed him with her magic by less than a foot. She backed away from both of them terrified by what she had just done. She could have killed them. Cain stood edging toward her. She held her hands out as her eyes flew between the two men, heart beating fast. "I'm sorry! I don't know what happened! It was another dream and the witch was alive! I-"

He grabbed her wrists pulling her hands to his face so he could see them in the darkness. "Why are your hands bleeding?" His eyes flew to her face searching for answers.

"What?" She looked at where he was holding her wrists tugging them away from him. As soon as he let go she gazed at the palms of her hands. They were throbbing and oozing blood from where she had fallen. She sucked in a breath bewildered. "But… it was a dream…" She whispered.

Raw joined them gazing at her worriedly. "Cain start fire. Raw need to clean wounds before heal." She didn't look up from her hands. This wasn't right… it had been a dream. Raw placed a hand on her shoulder and she jumped her head jerking up. "DG come sit now." He said soothingly.

She followed him and sat when he directed her back onto her bedroll. Cain built the fire back up ignoring the fact that he should probably be making a new fire pit. He kept shooting troubled glances at her as he tossed logs onto the fire. As he worked Raw filled the cooking pan with water and set it over the now blazing fire. Cain sat next to her and she pulled her knees up to her chest holding her hands away from her cloths.

Wyatt's hand brushed gently over her hair. "Sweetheart, tell me what happened."

She shrank away from his hand startled and afraid that what the witch had said was true. "It was another nightmare." He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat as Raw sat in front of her. The seer set the now cooling water on the ground next to him and dipped a rag from Cain's first aid kit into it as he took her hand. Holding her hand toward the light he carefully sponged the blood away. As soon as her cuts were visible he set the rag aside and mewled as he used two fingers to tug a sharp piece of stone from the deepest of the lacerations.

Before she could do anything Cain had snatched the rock from the viewer and dunked it into the water to clear the blood away. In the flickering firelight she recognized a small portion of the carved stone head, it had a portion of the ancients language painted on it. The Tin Man searched the small clearing with his eyes finding nothing that even remotely resembled the stone in his hand. His eyes snapped back to her face and she turned away. "What is this DG?"

She licked her very dry lips wishing very hard that she had made no promise about not keeping secrets. "A part of the cave where the Witch was." She flinched as Raw finished removing the dirt from her first hand and used his gift to heal it. Then he repeated the process on her other hand. Once he was finished he washed the rest of the blood away and held tightly to her hands when she tried to move away.

"DG not witch." Her eyes flew to his dark steady gaze and she felt Cain freeze next to her. "Not responsible."

She swallowed giving the seer a small nod. "I know Raw."

Raw squeezed her hands before placing a furry finger to her forehead. "DG know this here." His finger moved to her heart. "But sometimes doesn't believe it here." What could she even say to that? She was looking into the seer's knowing gaze and she could feel Wyatt's ice blue eyes boring into the side of her head. She closed her eyes nodding again not knowing what else to do.

Cain's arm suddenly snaked around her and he pulled her against his side. She fidgeted turning her head away from him but he held her firmly kissing the side of her head. She didn't fight him but she didn't look at him either. Undeterred he used his free hand to cup her face and turn it back toward him. What he said next caught her off guard because it had nothing to do with her guilt trip. "DG, why would your hands be bleeding?"

Her brows furrowed as she thought this through. Cain's arm began to run slowly up and down her side as she relaxed against him. It didn't occur to her until much later that that had been his plan to begin with. "I'm not sure… I may be reaching the point where they're getting ready to fade out. Maybe it was a warning?"

"Are you sure?" Cain pushed.

"No. I don't know enough about this." She was frustrated. "I need to ask someone who knows about life giving. I only know there's a time limit but it can vary."

Raw rumbled in front of them. "Contact Azkadilla when we reach Finaqua. May be able to help." Cain grunted in agreement as he pulled her into his lap. She wriggled and he grunted again tightening his arms until she stopped. He leaned back into a nearby tree tucking her head under his chin.

"We can't go anywhere until the first suns up. Horses wont be able to see. Go back to sleep Furball, I'm staying up with the Princess." Raw smiled wearily as he went back to his bedroll. The Tin Man stroked her back as the seer fell back into sleep. She nuzzled his neck in response not wanting to sleep for the first time in over a week. He chuckled softly when she tickled him and she stopped afraid he would wake Raw. Instead she wound her arms around his waist getting comfy.

"Sweetheart…" Cain's voice ran over her softly.

"Hmmm?"

Cain sighed and his hand quit running over her back. "I know what it's like blamin yourself for something you couldn't control." Her entire body went stiff and he held her before she could get away. "Just listen DG then you can get away if that's what you want." She stilled her arms loosening so she could escape when he was done. "If you let this eat away at you it'll turn you into something you don't want to be. I also know that me tellin you that isn't going to make those feelings you're having stop. But I'm here if you want to talk to me alright Sweetheart?"

Instead of running when he loosened his arm she curled up closer to him. She didn't know how to start this conversation so she stayed silent for a long time thinking. Cain must have come to the conclusion that she wasn't going to talk to him so he sat silently holding her. She was amazed he wasn't pushing her and that's what made her start talking. He might be the one person in the Outer Zone that wouldn't think she was crazy for thinking these things. "The witch should have taken me. Az wasn't the one she wanted."

He let out a long breath. "If the witch had taken you I doubt she could have been stopped. You have more magic than your sister DG."

"You don't know that. I didn't know anything about my magic when I got back here."

Cain shifted her body so he could see her face better. "What happened happened Sweetheart. It wasn't anyone's fault but the witch's. And I don't want to hear anything else about you letting her out. She would have gotten out sooner or later, at least now she's gone for good. You made sure of that."

She rested her head on his shoulder staring blankly into the darkness. "How'd you make them stop Cain?"

"Make what stop Darlin?"

"The nightmares, the guilt, the blame… I don't know any of it, all of it." She turned so she could see him needing an answer of some kind.

He held her face his eyes serious. "Someone reminded me I was a Tin Man and not a killer." She tried to turn away again strangely disturbed by the intensity of his gaze but he held her face and her eyes. "Then it took time for that to sink in. It helped that you never once looked at me like what happened to my family was my fault; that you tried to help me find them despite everything else that was going on."

"It wasn't your fault Wyatt."

His lip twitched despite the seriousness of their conversation. "The repetition may have helped as well." His fingers caressed her cheek. "So DG… this was not your fault."

She huffed at him raising an eyebrow. "Funny."

His eyes danced. "One of us has to be, especially now that Jeb's not with us."

She punched his arm lightly. "Sweet Ozma! No wonder he's like that! It's genetic! Our kids are going to be terrors upon the O.Z."

Cain blinked; she had thrown him once again. "Our kids… you want children?"

Shit. She needed someone to just smack her in the head before she said stuff like this. "Uhhhh… Do you?"

The Tin Man suddenly went crazy ninja on her flipping her body around so she was straddling him. His hands were on her hips and she was unable to get away or avoid his face, something he had at least given her the option to do before. "That was not an answer Sweetheart."

She briefly imagined one of their conversations ending in a non-embarrassing or life altering way. She couldn't actually picture that happening in the near future. "Geez, Cain I don't know. I always thought I'd have at least one but if you don't want any… I can't believe were talking about this right now." She could feel her face heating up. This was ridiculous.

He snorted at her. "You do know having a baby is going to make you chubby." He poked her stomach gently. "And make you even crazier than usual." His blue eyes were glittering with glee. She raised her arms in exasperation as he teased her. He laughed quietly at her obvious annoyance kissing her soundly. "You can pout at me later Darlin. Time to start packin up. We should be able to get to Finaqua before sunset if we hurry." He pushed her to her feet in the predawn light that was slowly taking over their campsite.

She woke up Raw and together they packed and saddled the horses. By the time they were done the first rays of light were beginning to show themselves. She mounted her horse and Cain led them farther off into the woods. He kept up a steady and unrelenting pace for the day but she had to admit she stopped cursing him and her sore butt when the hedge maze came into view.

Author Note: Yay! They're finally in Finaqua! Now leave me a review…. Ok I don't know how those things go together but still…


	29. Chapter 29

Disclaimer:

"Blessed hedge maze!" She groaned as they came to the edge of it. She would get to stop riding, thank Ozma. Cain shook his head amused as he dismounted and lead his horse toward the entrance. She got off her placid mare and stretched shaking her legs in a vain attempt to make them not sore. "Let's go find this thing!" She held onto her horse's reins leading her after the Tin Man.

"At least not running through this time." Raw said optimistically.

"Don't worry Raw I don't have the energy to run right now." And boy was that true. She was exhausted, between the no sleep and the massive amount of magic she had accidentally let loose she was worried she might collapse before they found the next piece of her. It must have been pretty obvious too because the Tin Man was inspecting her as he paused next to the maze.

"Once we're inside you can rest Darlin. Then we can find your soul in the morning."

"No. I'm finding it tonight." This was going to be non-negotiable. That dream had royally freaked her out. If her soul was getting ready to fade, although she wasn't all that sure, she was going to go find it as soon as possible.

Cain raised a skeptical eyebrow but indicated that she should enter first as he took the reins of her horse. "Lead the way then, DG, but stay close. And keep your magic ready." His eyes were scanning the enclosed area as he held the two horses with one hand and his gun in the other.

It took them longer to get through the maze walking but she never wavered in her path. Oddly solving the maze was one of the clearest memories she had of her childhood, not counting the whole witch debacle. When they came to the center of the maze she stopped waiting for Raw to catch up with them. She sighed stretching her arms over her head and twisting her torso trying to get her back to crack. As the seer came into view she felt something swimming on the edge of her awareness.

She straightened immediately her hands pulsing with a gentle light. Cain's eyes were on her instantly when he saw her magic. She turned in a circle searching for the subtle signs she was slowly becoming used to. "What is it Sweetheart?" The Tin Man's voice was tense as if he was expecting an ambush. She felt stupid for making him stress out.

"I can feel my soul in the maze." She finally honed in on it to the west. It was in a part of the maze that she had only a foggy image of in the very back of her head. She searched her memory for a clearer picture but only saw a flash of a large green, leafy legs shooting up into the air. She pointed toward where she felt it. "It's that way."

Raw had caught up to them as she pointed. "DG and Cain go. Raw stay and hold horses." He took the reins from Cain as she headed down the barely remembered path. She heard the Tin Man's boots crunch on the gravel behind her as he walked. Her steps faltered as they approached the first split in the maze. She wavered momentarily and Wyatt placed a hand on the small of her back.

"What's wrong? Can't you feel it?" She tilted her head up so she could see his face peering down at her from under his hat.

"Yeah, its to the right but…I… I'm trying to remember where we are. I know I've been here before." He must have seen the slight depression in her eyes because his suddenly softened to an amazing extent. It was just so frustrating not remembering what she thought she should be able to. His hand moved up her back rubbing gently and he leaned down so he could murmur in her ear.

His warm breath gusted against her neck. "Don't try to hard DG. It'll come back to you eventually. Until then we can make new memories together."

She turned so she could see his eyes smiling at him. "You know you can be sweet when you want to be."

He snorted grinning inches away from her face his voice serious despite his amusement. "I'm not sweet. I'm…comforting."

She giggled. "Comforting? Is sweet not manly enough for you?"

He rolled his eyes refusing to dignify that with a response. She leaned forward and kissed him swiftly before heading right. She hoped he was right about her memories returning but she wasn't all that hopeful. She pushed the thought aside following the feeling her soul was putting out.

They walked in what she would have sworn was a circle if she hadn't known better; magic was weird that way. On her fifth sharp turn the maze opened up into a large enclosed expanse of grass. It was as big as an Earth soccer field but instead of having goals at either end it was covered with giant sculpted hedges. She grinned in delight when she saw them. Bushes were trimmed into an amazing variety of animal shapes. "Whoa! This is wicked."

Cain pushed his hat up eyeing the bushes. "I don't see how the hedge animals are evil DG."

She blinked then burst into laughter. He looked over at her like she was crazy. She bent over double at his expression. He growled losing patience with her. She gasped for air thoroughly amused by the misunderstanding. "I'll give you a run down of Otherside terminology at a later date Tin Man." He said nothing as he turned his attention to the surrounding shrubbery. She rubbed tears of mirth from her eyes as she stood back up and focused on the task at hand.

Letting her light out she felt it somewhere in the center of the field so she headed that way Wyatt close behind her. After walking around a very accurate replication of an ostrich, and she really wanted to know who asked for _that_, she found herself in front of one of the beautifully blooming bush. She raised an eyebrow scanning the rest of the animal figures. None of them had fist sized blue flowers sprouting out of them.

She turned back to the bush in front of her. Unlike the other animals that they had passed this one was imaginary. That didn't make its representation any less impressive. She figured that if griffons existed they would probably look a whole lot like this thing, minus the leaves and blossoms of course. She turned back to Cain. "This is amazing, but why is this the only animal that isn't real? And why is it blooming?"

Cain who had been inspecting the flowers over her shoulder looked down at her in surprise. "What do you mean it isn't real?"

She scrunched up her forehead using her hand to indicate the surrounding creatures. "All the other bushes are copies of real animals. Horses, birds, fish. But a griffon? Maybe it's in the middle because it's mythical?"

Cain who had been following her hand movement with his eyes turned back to her lip twitching. What the hell? "I have no idea why it's bloomin but I promise you griffons most certainly exist."

Her jaw dropped. "Shut up!" No freaking way.

Cain laughed at her amazement. "They live up in the mountains. Don't see em very often but they're there. Shier than Sand Skimmers but just as clever."

She closed her eyes. Forget lions and tigers and bears. The O.Z. had papay and griffons and dragons, oh my. When she reopened them Cain was still smiling at her. "You may even get to catch a glimpse of one near the Ice Palace." She felt herself wince slightly at the mention of that particular place and turned her attention toward the flowers. She may have been dying to see a griffon but if she could have passed on the Ice Palace she would have. At least it gave her something to look forward to since they had to go there anyway.

She sighed and closed her eyes once again listening. She snapped them back open immediately feeling her soul give off a soft pulse of innocent delight from inside the bush. She reached out her hands carefully parting the leaves that made up the neck of the large bird…cat…thingy. She saw a flash of light before it zipped up out of the bush. She stepped back and thumped softly into Cain's chest craning her neck up in order to see the little light ball twirling over the griffons back.

She heard and felt Cain snort at it. "What's this one feel like Darlin?"

"It's…playful?" She reached behind her to grab his hand and focused her light into him so he could feel it as well. He relaxed behind her and she suddenly felt his lips press against her neck.

She felt his lips moving on the skin of her neck and shivered. "That one is most certainly part of you Sweetheart. Happy and curious. See if it'll come down nicely, it might be drawn to you because you're something different from the animals." She nodded in understanding. That would explain the flowers, her soul was all experimental. Figures.

She shuffled closer and extended her hand to the little dancing ball. It spun about quickly flitting closer to her hand. Right before she thought it was going to be cooperative it hopped onto her head before sliding down her back to roll in a happy spiral on the soft grass next to her feet. She stared down at it slightly annoyed. At least it didn't frolic off into the maze. She started to bend down when it spun tighter before bouncing merrily over to Cain's boot.

It jumped onto the old leather and swayed back and forth as it examined him. He grunted down at it. "Why are you on me? I already have one piece of her in me. I don't think I need another." It froze instantly at the sound of his voice then started bouncing higher as if it were tying to get closer to its new toy.

She giggled at its enthusiasm. "Apparently I'm old news. Who wants to hang out with the rest of my soul when there's a hot Tin Man around?"

He rolled his eyes lifting his hand slowly up to remove his hat. He flipped it over with equal care and lowered it down to the still curious light ball. It popped over to his other boot before launching itself into the hat. Well curiosity may have killed the cat but it was awfully helpful when it came to catching her soul. The second it landed inside the fedora she placed her hand inside it wrapping her fingers over the warm thing.

Her hand heated up as her body reabsorbed it and she swayed her head falling backward and her knees giving out under her as a stream of memories accompanied it. She felt Wyatt catch her around the middle and pull her flush against him as her eyes closed. She trembled trying not to fight the images and emotions this time. When she finally opened her eyes she found herself sitting against Cain's chest his legs on either side of her. He was leaning up against the griffon with his hat lying in the grass next to them. The first sun was sinking behind the top branches of the hedge maze.

She quivered against him her emotions in overdrive. She turned her head into his neck as his hand ran over her hair and suddenly she just wasn't close enough to him. Twisting her head more she licked the base of his neck that was exposed by his collar. His hand stopped moving and she felt him rumble softly. "DG, we need to get back to Raw."

She whined against his skin nuzzling him and twining one of her legs over his hip. She really didn't think she could not have his hands on her right now. As she pulled herself closer to him her hands came up to tangle in the short hair at the back of his neck, her nails scratching him lightly. She still had enough self-control to stop herself from drawing blood. Despite his earlier protest he held her to him more tightly briefly before he flipped her onto her back. She growled in satisfaction wrapping her other leg around his waist as well as she thrust her hips against his. With a barely suppressed moan he pressed her firmly into the ground pinning her. He held onto the back of her neck and forced her face up to his.

"What's gotten into you?" His eyes searched her face and she could see that his were dilated.

She simply groaned in response arching up against him her nails scratching hard down his coat covered arms. He hissed between his teeth grabbing a wrist in each hand and pinning them to her sides as he supported his weight on his elbows. "DG, Sweetheart, stop for a minute." She heard the worry in his voice and wanted to do what he asked but her body wasn't really taking orders from her brain at the moment. She began to pant and shake under him tightening her legs around him in response to his closeness. Her emotions rollercoastered from need, surprise at her actions, lust, panic, and the most fierce possessiveness she had every experienced.

With his hands holding her arms her neck was free and she pressed her lips against his lower jaw in desperation. Cain's body was responding to her but he was fighting it. "DG, stop!" His gruff order only drove her lust higher and she began to mewl into his skin nipping and licking.

She did manage to form two words before she let her control slip away again. "Can't." She managed to twist herself enough to bite the place where his neck met his shoulder his scent washing over her. "Mine."

He groaned at that yanking her arms over her head and holding both of her wrists in one hand. Pressing his lips against her hard she whimpered in relief undulating up into him. He pressed his forehead against hers his eyes worried and lust filled. "Yours DG. But this isn't you right now. You need to calm down."

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew he was right and started trying to do as he said. She managed for approximately ten seconds before she lost herself under the title wave of emotions once more. The Tin Man's eyes flashed at her rapid-fire change in personality. With a sigh of frustration his free hand moved down her body a snuck between their joined hips. He kissed her gently as his hand began to rub her over her pants. She let out a loud moan of relief. He kissed her face moving his lips toward her ear. "Hush Darlin. I'm here, you're safe."

She panted pressing her face into his neck as his hand sent shocks of pleasure through her system. She tried to get her arms free but he held them more tightly. "Don't fight DG. I don't need you doing something you can't take back." Her body began to shake as he brought her up higher until finally he rubbed the heel of his hand firmly against her and she went stiff her vision going black. She cried out into his shoulder before she went limp below him her face still pressed into his duster.

As her body came down she began to shake for an entirely different reason. The emotional mess had dropped down to nearly normal levels and she suddenly felt embarrassed and ashamed of what she had done. She had never in her life lost control like that before. Cain shifted to the side as her legs loosened and she moved her head with him refusing to separate from his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She whispered beginning to shake harder.

He released her hands as soon as she spoke and sat them back up. Her fingers found the collar of his coat and she clung to him. He stroked her hair as she trembled. "You don't need to be sorry. Are you better now?" She nodded her head against his leather encased shoulder, she couldn't look at him. "Alright lets get to the palace and a mirror. We need to have a chat with your sister."

She sat back avoiding his eyes as she got to her feet. This hunt was getting crazy. She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She gazed around the field blankly trying to make herself feel more normal. Cain's hand was on her hip suddenly and startled she looked up at him. "Sweetheart, don't worry so much. You didn't do anything wrong." His other hand pushed some hair behind her ear his hand caressing her cheek.

She gave him a weak smile. "You know I never thought I'd actually jump you." He snorted kissing her. Pulling back he pushed her toward the maze.

"I know you said something about Otherside terminology but I would assume that 'jumping' doesn't involve an actually leap." She laughed softly as they headed back to Raw. The man did have a way of diffusing tension.

Author Note: New chappy finally! Sorry had much school work, it sucked! Anyway leave me a review, I love em!


	30. Chapter 30

Disclaimer: I still don't own it.

The walk back to Raw was nearly silent. She still felt out of sorts her emotions suddenly spiking and then evening out only to rise back up again. She led Cain back the way they had come with little thought her body on autopilot. When they rounded the last bend and arrived in the center of the maze Raw was fidgeting nervously.

His eyes took her in with worry. "Felt DG fear. Then react to soul. What happened?"

She ran a hand through her hair nervously. "I don't know. I lost control after I got that piece back in me."

Raw shook his head. "Felt DG react to other part."

Cain looked at the viewer sharply. "What?"

Raw rumbled. "Tried to pull soul out of Tin Man. Told you not to until all other pieces found." He did not say this in anger or accusation only confusion.

She went still her eyes widening. She opened her mouth several times before her jaw clamped shut and her face heated up. Well that was just awesome. She glanced up at Cain who was staring back at her. His eyes went back to Raw. "She never reacted that way after she got the other pieces." At least the man didn't go into detail. She felt her face redden further.

"Not know answer. Must ask Azkadilla." Raw said this apologetically.

"It's ok Raw. Lets get to out of here." She said now wanting urgently to talk to her sister. If that little incident had happened with anyone other than Cain she probably would have had to kill herself do to utter and all consuming humiliation. As it was she was only having slightly suicidal thoughts. She vowed to make this up to him later tonight as they exited the maze.

The moment she stepped out of the line of bushes two newly appointed palace guards pulled their guns on her. She froze in her tracks hurling up a shield of light around herself and the mazes exit on the off chance they got excited and shot at either of the men with her. Cain stepped out a moment after her and he raised his gun dead at one of man's head. Even without looking at him she could feel the rage radiating off of him.

"Drop your weapons!" He barked with authority. "Don't you recognize your Princess?" Both men lowered their guns looking cowed by the angry Tin Man. She dropped the shield with a sigh her magic reaching its limits. She was now worried she wouldn't be able to talk to Az until she slept and that made her nervous. Cain grunted in annoyance at the two guards and began to give fast orders after he identified himself. She was fairly impressed with how well he bossed them about. By the time Raw emerged with the three horses they were all but cringing before him.

One of them took the horses from Raw while the other indicated that they should follow him up the manicured lawns to the palace. As they walked she told him in no uncertain terms that the lake was going to have a new visitor and if anyone so much as acted funny near the Sand Skimmer they were going to have to answer to her. The man nodded while giving her a sideways look but promised to inform the rest of the guards and palace staff about the dragon. It probably helped that Cain was giving him an icy stare.

Twenty minutes later and all three of them were in different states of relaxation on the furniture in her large suite. She was spread out along half the couch her now bare feet touching Cain's leg. Cain was sitting with his arms crossed as they waited for food to be brought up to them his eyes distant. Raw was on a nearby chair his head resting on the back eyes closed. Her eyes wondered over the room indifferently.

At least the furniture here was more comfortable than the stuff in the Tower. And it wasn't brown and black like everything there either. Everything was done up in blues. The walls were a very pale blue, the rugs were a woven motif of dark blue shades and the furniture she was currently reclining on was somewhere in between. She had yet to venture in to the bedroom but she was guessing that was going to be blue as well. It was a hunch really.

Cain's eyes came back into focus as someone knocked on the door. He stood walking over to it and cracking it open before he allowed one of the many palace workers to enter. The woman looked to be in her late fifties but she could only make an Otherside guess. In all likelihood she was well over eighty and still spry. The woman smiled warmly at her as she set the tray on one of the expensive looking tables. "Thank you." She said sitting up straight. The woman smiled wider and tilted her head before turning to leave. Cain locked the door behind her before coming back over to sit.

"Check it out." She said excitedly. "Warm cooked food!" Raw laughed at her enthusiasm while Cain sat silently. Her eyes darted to his serious face. She frowned slightly; her random comments and stellar observations on the terribly obvious usually made him at least smile. She repressed a sigh as she picked up a plate and began to eat. He had been pretty much silent since the hedge maze.

Once she finished chewing the food she had in her mouth she set her plate down. She wasn't that hungry despite how good the food they had been given was. She doubted she'd even eaten a quarter of the food she on her plate. Sitting back she crossed her legs under her. "I don't think I can contact Az until tomorrow."

Cain looked up from his food. "How tired are you?" He was watching her carefully as if she might spontaneously combust at any moment. She felt annoyance flare but pushed it away. There was no reason to take her frustration out on Cain and she knew it.

"I'm not that tired but my magic is drained. I need to sleep before I try anything else and that mirror trick takes to much concentration for me to just wing it." Cain grunted his eyes flicking to her plate. She shrugged. "I'm not that hungry." He shook his head but continued eating. She waited as patiently as she could for them to finish before she got up. She figured that leaving would be downright rude. Once all the plates were back on the table she went to the nearest window.

Raw sighed behind her. "All need to sleep. Will come back in the morning to talk with Azkadilla and Glitch." She turned her head and smiled at him in understanding.

"Night Raw. See you in the morning." He grinned at her as he unlocked the door and headed to his own room down the hall. With a sigh she closed the curtains on the breathtaking view of the stars reflected off the lake and went to lock the door once more. She turned around leaning against the wood to find Cain still on the couch watching her. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the matter?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about what happened in the maze, Darlin."

She shifted her weight confused. "_You're_ sorry? For what?"

He gave her an incredulous look. "You weren't in control DG. I shouldn't have touched you like that when you weren't yourself." She saw shame and anger flash in his eyes. She was betting the anger wasn't directed at her. She pushed off the wall and being careful to avoid the table she knelt down in front of his legs resting her arms over his knees.

She locked eyes with him. "Wyatt, I'm pretty sure I didn't give you much of a choice in the matter."

He growled not breaking eye contact. "DG, I _was_ in control. That was inexcusable."

And she thought she felt bad about the incident. She saw his wall crumble away and reacted to the guilt she saw in his eyes. She was amazed at how much he had let her in over the last few weeks. She crawled onto his lap straddling him. His eyes darkened slightly but he made no move to touch her his arms at his side. "So that's what you meant when you said _I_ didn't do anything wrong." His eyes flashed and she knew she had hit the nail on the head. "You didn't do anything wrong either. I'm sorry my soul made me an emotional wreaking ball and you were in its path."

Her Otherside reference threw him off track. He huffed in irritation his guilt momentarily forgotten and she grinned at him. "Sweetheart, I don't know what that means."

"That's ok Tin Man. You weren't supposed to." He blinked when he recognized what she had done. His lip twitched and sensing that she could end his stress if she distracted him fast enough she grabbed his hands placing them on her hips. She rubbed her thumbs in slow circles over the backs of them as she rocked against him. He gripped her instinctively and she removed her hands so she could unbutton his shirt.

"You're trying to distract me." He stated accusingly.

She snorted leaning in to nip his earlobe. "You didn't need to prove that you were observant, Tin Man."

He groaned when she began to nibble down his neck his head tilting to the side to give her better access as she helped him get his shirt and vest off. "This isn't playing fair, DG."

"Playing fair is no fun at all." Her hands snuck down to unclasp his pants and she wriggled backward so she could slither back to the floor tugging the material of his pants as she went. She huffed when he didn't move. "It would help if you lifted your hips up." He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. "You know you really should take advantage of my curiosity, Cowboy." Then she grinned throwing his own words back at him. "Besides, you have no idea how much I like hearing you whimper my name."

His eyes dilated and the use of his pet name combined with what he knew she was about to try convinced him to listen. She grinned up at him as she chucked the pants to the side and rose up on her knees. She ran her hands up from his knees to his hips slowly lowering her head to press a kiss to the top of his thighs. Having no idea if she was doing this right she felt much better when she heard him sigh and his hand came down to rest on her head.

As she made her way up his body with her lips his fingers ran gently through her hair. She felt his thighs twitch as she moved her body between his legs and settled herself. Pushing her uncertainty away she gazed up at him from under her lashes as she kissed the tip of him. His eyes darkened to the most beautiful shade of blue and he groaned softly down at her. The look in his eyes was so hot she had to turn away. Focusing on her task she decided to discover the best way to make him say her name.

While she investigated this his fingers spasmodically tightened in her hair though she could tell he was being careful about hurting her as his breathing became ragged. Becoming bolder she took him into her mouth and was immediately rewarded with a low exclamation of her name. A sense of power suddenly swept through her and she understood why he enjoyed teasing her so much. While she may not have been on the brink of an orgasm making him feel like this had its own rewards. She speed up slightly and his groans became more frequent. Just as she started getting into it his hand left her head and hooked under her arms.

"Come're DG." He panted hauling her up. She didn't have time to protest as he practically ripped her cloths from her body. As soon as she was naked he sat back on the couch pulling her down onto his lap. He kissed her possessively his hands running firmly down the sides of her body before one settled on the small of her back and the other ran back up to cup one of her breasts. She arched toward him and his head immediately went down to suckle the other one.

She began to whimper her fingers running over his soft hair as she pressed closer to him her vision beginning to go foggy. When he felt her trying to get closer his head came up and he pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat as he lifted her up slightly. Getting the hint she used her knees to lever herself up on the couch as he positioned himself. One hand locked firmly on her hip while the other cupped her bottom as he pressed her down onto him. She moaned loudly as he held her in place and pressed his cheek against hers.

"I love you DG." She trembled at the heat in his voice and felt a spike of need rise up in her. She whimpered digging her nails into his shoulders. He sat forward slightly still not letting her move the way she wanted to. He kissed her lips softly as she shook and released her hip long enough to adjust her legs around his waist before sitting back. Now having no way to lever herself she was forced to rely on his hands and her own limited ability to rock to help create friction.

She soon realized this was another way for Wyatt to set the pace at slow and steady. She wasn't complaining though this felt amazing. And now that she was facing him she could cover his face, neck and chest with kisses. He grunted when she nipped his shoulder and lifted her higher dropping her on top of him. She arched with a cry as pleasure raced up her spine. She needed him to do that again. She opened her eyes so she could see him. "Harder."

He smirked at her his eyes smoldering. He held her against him as he twisted and pressed her back into the couch cushions. As soon as they were settled he pushed hard into her. She moaned tightening her legs around his waist as he moved. Hot breath tickled her sweaty neck. "Fall with me Sweetheart." He thrust into her hard once more and she keened her body stiffening against his as they came together.

She could feel Wyatt shaking above her as he rested his weight on her body. She tried to catch her breath resting the side of her head against his neck. She kissed his shoulder softly noticing the nail marks she given him. She kissed them carefully worried she had hurt him and felt him grunt softly his arm moving down to cradle her side. "Yup, going to be the death of me."

She giggled breathlessly as she continued to kiss him. He tasted salty. "Well there are worse ways to die than having a Princess between your legs."

Cain laughed above her head. He shifted to the side and tugged her body up so he could rest his forehead on hers. She smiled softy at him and he kissed her tenderly. She hummed feeling more content than she had in days. He stroked her ribs and she wriggled as he tickled her slightly. "Are you ready for sleep?"

She fidgeted nervously. "I don't want to hurt you if I have another nightmare."

He held her tighter. "You wont hurt me Darlin. I'll keep you safe against me."

She caressed his face. "You always keep me safe Tin Man." And she knew he would in more ways than one.

Author Note: Sorry about the time between updates but school is keeping me super busy. I hope to have another chapter up by Wednesday but I can't promise it. However leave me a review for loves sake. And thanks for understanding guys!


	31. Chapter 31

Disclaimer: I so sick and tired of telling you I don't own it. But… I don't own it. Enjoy the chapter anyway!

Waking up in a cold sweat was starting to get old. She sat up thrashing and panting thinking for a moment that the blankets were some kind of sick trap that was holding her down. It didn't help that as soon as she moved an arm locked around her waist and yanked her backward further destroying her grasp on her surroundings. She snarled at the arm disoriented and angry that someone was trying to hold her against her will.

The gravely voice behind her was reassuring. "Relax, Darlin. I told you I'd keep you against me. Unless you'd rather I let you fall off the bed." She let her body go limp on the bed as she fought back the cold that was gripping her so fiercely. Wyatt held her closer rubbing his hands over her as she shivered.

"That's all right I'd prefer not to become closely acquainted with it." She managed to chatter out. Cain grunted, amused, his hands rubbing her back a little harder. As much as she enjoyed having him touching her this was really not working. She sighed in annoyance sitting up and grabbing his hand kissing the palm before she got out of the bed. "Still cold. Hot bath. Go back to sleep." Ok so she wasn't all that fluent two hours before the suns came up but who was?

She managed to snatch Wyatt's shirt and pull it around her as she stumbled into the bathroom. She turned the taps and waited for the water to start steaming before she plugged the large tub. She stood leaning tiredly against the sink as the tub filled up. She began to play with the buttons on Cain's shirt cuffs to keep herself awake. If her chills were this bad here in Finaqua, which was nice and balmy, she had a feeling she was going to have serious problems as soon as they hit the north country. 

Once the tub was filled she shrugged off the oversized shirt and stepped carefully into the hot water. Sinking into the warm water she groaned feeling better almost immediately. Reaching over she made good use of the soap scrubbing her body clean. Once she was done she sank completely down in the water holding her breath as the water soaked through her hair. Pity she couldn't stay under any longer really. She sat up gasping for air as soon as her head emerged from the water.

"That was a fairly impressive time, Sweetheart. I wouldn't have given you more than a minute." Her head whipped to the side in shock when she heard the Tin Man's voice so close to her ear. Sadly he got hit with a face full of dark wet hair. He jerked backward spluttering as she giggled reaching out to brush the water off his face. At least he didn't have a shirt on or that would have been soaked as well.

"I told you not to sneak up on me." She smiled at his annoyed look and he sat back to his original position. Caressing his now damp cheek she propped herself on the side of the tub. "You should go back to sleep. No point in both of us being exhausted all the time."

He grunted placing his hand over hers. "I spent more than enough time feeling like I was asleep. I don't mind staying awake with you." She felt her heart twinge for him but fought to hide what she was feeling from him. She forced a small smile to her face and kissed him softly before falling back into the water.

Then she began to tease him to break the tension. "Uhuh. I bet you don't mind seeing me lounging in the bath either." His eyes sparked with mischief for a second before he put on a serious face. He let his eyes run over her slowly and she began to fidget under his intense gaze warm water lapping at the edges of the bathtub. Light blue eyes slowly ran back up her body until they rested on her face.

"That certainly is a perk." She rolled her eyes as he grinned at her. He stood up and moved behind her. She turned her head so she could follow his easy movements. He crouched down behind her and his hand snuck to her shoulder. One hand began to massage her and she sighed leaning back. A few seconds later she felt something cool and goopy plop on the top of her head. 

She crossed her eyes in an attempt to see the top of her own head. "What are you doing to my hair?" 

He chuckled at her. "Washing it for you."

She raised an eyebrow as he used his hand to make her face forward. "I'm perfectly capable of washing-" Then his hands were rubbing her scalp and she decide arguing would be silly. She practically cooed at him. "Ooookay. That feels nice." 

She felt and heard his laughter as he spread the shampoo over her dark locks. "You have the softest hair, Sweetheart." She hummed at him as his fingers worked the shampoo down the long strands brushing her neck and shoulders as they went. He continued talking softly and she wasn't entirely sure if he was actually speaking to her or if he was simply musing out loud to himself. "It almost turns blue in the sunlight." His hands returned to her head brushing her bangs back so he could wash them too. "Sit forward, DG."

She complied her body tingling from the attention. She heard a soft splash behind her and then warm water fall down the back of her head as Cain began to rinse out the shampoo. She tilted her head backward so none of it would end up in her eyes. He took his time washing the suds away and by the time he was done the water had started to cool. He squeezed the end of it and let the water run out of it before he let go. "Time to dry off."

She stood up careful not to slip and stepped out of the water. Before she could reach for a towel the Tin Man wrapped her up in a soft fluffy one. He kissed her neck as he rubbed her dry. She snickered as he purposely hit her ribs wriggling around in his grasp. He continued his assault stealing kisses whenever her face came in range his whiskers scratching her. "Stop." She gasped good-naturedly. "You're all scruffy!"

He pulled his head back in surprise. "I am not scruffy!"

She grinned hopping away from him. "Oh yes you are. Where's your razor, on vacation?"

He grunted stepping closer to her his eyes glittering. She stepped back farther grinning. "Hey, stay back you unshaven bum! No more kissing until your cheeks can no longer cause me harm. I don't need whisker burn." He lunged at her grabbing her waist and lifting her up onto the counter kissing her face thoroughly as she squealed shoving him back.

He pulled back smirking at her his hands still holding onto her towel clad hips. "I'll shave once we get your hair dry." He began to tug the towel off her and she held onto it rebelliously grinning at him. So that was how he wanted to play this morning. He was so going to hate her in a second.

"Fine, dry hair coming up." She closed her eyes and focused on her magic briefly feeling it dry instantaneously. Opening her eyes she found a Tin Man with the most adorably exasperated look on his face. "Time to shave!" He hung his head as his shoulders shook.

His blue eyes were dancing when he finally glanced up at her. "Obviously I should be more specific next time."

"Obviously."

Shaking his head he left the bathroom briefly and returned with his razor standing next to her dangling legs as he ran water in the sink. He began to rummage around the cupboard under the sink muttering to himself. "Whatcha lookin for?"

He grunted. "Shaving cream."

"Good luck with that. No one knew you were sharing a bathroom with me. I doubt you'll find anything." He straightened with a sigh. "Don't look so sad, Tin Man. I've got your back." She focused her light calling on her magic to bring her the most random thing she had ever tried to shimmer to herself. It totally worked and she grinned gleefully. She held out a blue can to him, which he took apprehensively.

"What's this?" He rolled the can over in his hand raising an eyebrow.

She snorted rotating her body and wrapping a leg around the back of his thigh drawing him closer to her. She took the can back and shook it before pressing the button on the top. She should have known giving him an Otherside product would be amusing. He looked down at her hand curiously when the gel started to foam. She rubbed her hands together and rubbed the foam over his face before he could protest. He watched her as she spread the foam then turned to the back to the mirror and flipping his razor open.

A few minutes later and his face was smooth again. He washed the rest of the shaving cream away and cleaned his razor setting it down next to her. She smiled at him running her knuckles over his jaw. "Much better." His lip twitched as he held her face moving to stand between her legs as he kissed her. She sighed against his lips wrapping her legs around his waist in order to prevent him from escaping. His hand left her face and moved down to the top edge of her towel peeling it away from her now dry body.

His lips trailed down her jaw before he drew away to look at her. He sighed, "So beautiful, Darlin." She blushed to the roots of her very clean hair her hands darting out to unfasten his pants. Once they were undone she pushed the material away quickly scooting closer to him in the process. He held her hips as her mouth latched onto his in a heated kiss. While his tongue danced around the inside of her mouth he pressed into her swiftly.

She whimpered against his mouth as his tongue began to match the movements of his hips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shoved her hips back against his. He groaned releasing her mouth as they rocked together. Cain lowered his head so he could bite her shoulder in the place her bruise had begun to fade. She ground harder into him when she felt his teeth on her. "Wyatt, you feel so good." He growled into her neck hands tightening on her hips.

She arched forward her arms falling behind his shoulders so she could scratch his back gently. He hissed and thrust hard into her. "Are you trying to drive me over?"

She dug her nails into him a little harder in response. She was more than ready to do just that. "Is it working?" She panted at him. Darkening blue eyes locked on her as one of his hands glided from her hip and up between her legs. She cried out when he pressed the small bundle of nerves her body beginning to shake.

He smirked slightly at her when her legs tightened. "Turn about's fair play."

She whimpered digging her heals into his thighs. Was that a challenge she just heard? Oh hell no. She licked his neck sucking the skin at the base of his jaw. "You are way to focused on the concept of fair, Cowboy."

"Am I? I can fix that." What did that mean? Before she could formulate and kind of hypothesis to that question he had pulled out of her and stepped away. She let out a shout of annoyance but he simply pulled her off the counter and spun her around pushing her front down over the flat surface. She arched her back to give him better access her heart rate increasing exponentially when she realized what he wanted to do. He slid back into her his hands gliding up the sides of her body as she quivered beneath him. "Is that better, Sweetheart?"

She moaned silently admitting defeat. He chuckled his hand finding its way back to between her legs. Then all thought left her and she let herself focus on the sensations racing through her body. She felt him speed up and she lost it completely. She pressed back hard into him as she cried out. Feeling her tighten below him he thrust into her twice more then let go tumbling after her.

He let go of her with one hand bracing himself on the counter as his body came down. She lay half on the counter panting. "Damn, Cain." The hand still on her hip caressed her back as he tried to catch his breath. 

"That feel good, Princess?"

"Don't fish for compliments, Tin Man. I think you know how it was." He chuckled in response helping her stand up.

"Unfortunately we need to get dressed before Raw gets here." She sighed leaning back into his chest. He kissed her behind her ear murmuring a hot promise into her ear. "Once this is over I promise to keep you naked for a week, Darlin. Until then we'll have to make the best of it."

She grinned up at him. "Don't think I'm going to let you forget that." With colossal effort she stepped away from him and out of the bathroom searching for clean cloths in her pack. She was grateful that she dressed quickly because the viewer knocked on the door as she was walking into the sitting room. She crossed to the door and after hearing his soft voice opened the door. Cain walked out of the bedroom as she and Raw were making a beeline for the mirror that was hanging over the fireplace.

"Ready?" Cain nodded and Raw rumbled in agreement. Placing a glowing hand on the frame she searched for Az her eyes closed as she concentrated. Once she was sure she was connected her eyes opened and she saw Az and Glitch sitting in an unfamiliar parlor with her parents eating breakfast. "Don't you people ever sleep in?" Her mother jumped a foot in the air and Ahamo dropped his cup of what she thought was coffee. It shattered on the floor next to him as he sprang to his feet. "Oops. Sorry."

Az rose to her feet crossing to the mirror quickly and placing her hand next to it. Suddenly the strain of holding the spell was drastically lessoned and the sense of vertigo she was feeling dropped significantly. "That helped a lot Az, thanks."

"Your welcome. How are you feeling?" Like I just had an orgasm thanks for asking.

"Better, but I have a few questions about this. What did you find out about the Longcoats?"

Glitch and her parents came up behind her sister. All of them were agitated. That was a bad sign. "Nothing good, Doll."

"Of course not. That would be too easy." She answered back sarcastically.

Cain growled behind her. "Some detail would be nice, Zipperhead."

Ahamo shook his head. "I'd tell you to sit down but I don't think DG can." She braced herself for the news. Then began to curse loudly and fluently when Ahamo told them what was happening.

Author Note: bum bum bum. Another cliffy. You guys are going to yell at me again I just know it. Ah well at least I'll get reviews;)


	32. Chapter 32

Disclaimer: I want Cain. I'm tired of messing around…

"You have to be fucking kidding me! How the hell did no one else notice what they were doing?" So she was shouting. She was pissed and frankly freaked out.

"DG! That is no way for a Princess to talk." Her mother admonished in a very queen like manner.

"You know what? I don't care! How is this even possible?"

Ahamo sighed. "Our forces are spread very thin in the north country. And I have to say whoever organized this knew it. How they found out the Ice Palace was still abandoned is beyond me."

Cain growled low in his throat. "How many are there?"

Glitch responded almost immediately. "At least two hundred. We sent most of the royal guard out around the mountains to stop anymore from getting to the fortress."

As the men spoke about tactical maneuvers her mind was kicking into gear quickly. Something Ahamo had said was nagging at her. How did they even know where the Palace was? It had taken her magic cloaked memories to find it and the only other people that had been in the place had been her friends, the witch and… She nearly lost her connection with Az. Her entire body went rigid and any thought she had about how to get her soul out of the place flew out the window. That didn't really matter anymore.

Az squeaked when her magic dropped. She reinforced the spell automatically her eyes frantically meeting her sister's in the mirror. "Deege? What's wrong?"

She stared blankly at her afraid to turn around. She was aware that the conversation had stopped mid-sentence and everyone was looking at her. "There's only one person that knew where the Ice Palace was that isn't dead or here." It took Cain one second to understand what she had just said. Then he swore turning away from the mirror and ripping his hat from his head hurling it across the room. She turned her head toward him regretfully.

"This isn't your fault Tin Man."

"Isn't it?" He snapped back at her. She flinched slightly at his rage but didn't shrink away as Raw did or step back as Glitch and her parents did. Damn, he could scare people that were days away. If she hadn't been so worried she would have been impressed. "I left him there! Who knows how long he's been out!"

She started speaking directly to him. "At least a month I would guess. It takes time to organize something like this especially when you don't have Mobats or someone acting like a web cam." 

He whirled around eyes flashing at her. "Do you think this is funny?"

Her sarcasm took over. "Yes actually! I'm just tickled pink that a crazed psychopath now has control over the Longcoats! Get a grip Wyatt! We need to figure out how to fix this! Then you can get as mad as you want."

He snarled at nothing in particular and moved back in front of the mirror his body posture stiff and unmoving. She realized they had an audience and her ire rose. "Well? Any bright ideas?"

Glitch was looking back and forth between them in confusion. She figured he was trying to understand why she wasn't more worried about Cain's understandable tantrum. Her jaw twitched at his inattention. "Glitch! Focus!" He jumped and gazed at her.

"I don't know what else to do than send troops up to the mountains. And who are you talking about?" 

She stared at him and he began to fidget. "That's it? Send more troops up to the mountains? Zero is crazy not stupid!" Az gasped and Glitch made an anxious noise in the back of his throat placing a hand on her sister's shoulder. Her parents seemed confused by the sudden upsurge of tension.

She blamed herself for not telling them anymore than necessary about her run around the O.Z. She had mentioned Zero is passing not wanting to share any of Cain's history in respect for his privacy. And Az had never mentioned the man at all after she assured her sister that he was locked away in an iron maiden. It was official she was an idiot. Her sister was looking at her pleadingly and she sighed. It was almost a pity the witch had melted because at least she could keep Zero in line.

She blinked inspiration striking. Cain was going to kill her and she wuldn't even blame him for it. "I need to talk to Az alone."

Ahamo frowned. "DG, this is hardly the time to separate ourselves. Seven heads are better than two."

Her eyes flashed to him. She had a plan damn it! "You had two days to work this out between yourselves. Now I have an idea and I need to talk to Az! Alone!" Her father's head jerked back at her forcefulness. Her mother was staring at her in wonder and Glitch shrank away from the mirror. She felt Raw moving restlessly beside her but the most interesting thing that happened was Cain's compliance. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him step back from her silently. The last thing she expected was for him to go quietly after this news. He motioned for the seer to follow and threw a parting comment over his shoulder at the mirror.

"I found it's best to let her run off on her own when an idea strikes. You'd be wise to listen to her." She felt her heart swell at his words and trust in her abilities. She turned her head and smiled at him in thanks. He nodded to her and walked into the hall with Raw shutting the door behind them. She gazed back at the mirror and glared. Glitch was already leaving but Ahamo and Lavender were still staring at her. She raised an eyebrow at them.

"My Angel, we can help you." Her temper snapped at her mother's tone.

"Then leave like I asked you to! You trusted the emerald to me but you wont trust me now? A bit hypocritical of you don't you think?"

Ahamo was obviously hurt by her tone. "Why can't you let us in, DG?"

She growled. "We don't have time for this discussion right now. This isn't about our relationship. Please go so I can talk to Az."

"You should leave." Az's normally soft voice was laced with steel as she turned to look at the Queen and Consort. Lavender pressed her lips into a thin line before turning and practically floating out of the room. Ahamo followed reluctantly behind her shutting the door with a snap. She shook her head as she gave her sister a tight smile.

"Thanks, Az."

Her sister nodded eyes serious. "Why did you need to talk to me alone?"

"I have an idea… A really crazy one and no one else can know about it if we want it to work."

Her sister's brows furrowed. "Not even the Tin Man?"

Her stomach knotted at this. "No and I need to tell you something else after we're done with this." Her sister eyes were curious but indicated that she should continue. She licked her lips. "The only one that could control Zero was the witch… Az I'm sorry to ask this but I need you to let me steal as many of your memories of when you were possessed as I can take."

Her sister hissed eyes flicking with hurt and dread. "What? Why?"

"No one else was up on that Tower when we killed her. The viewing disks that our parents are going to release to the realm are still being replicated… Az, he may believe that the witch left you and possessed me while we were up there. I need to be able to convince him of that."

Az was silent for a long time. "This is a dangerous game you're trying to play Deege. Zero is going to be hard to convince."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No." The word was soft and sad. "It's a good plan even if it is risky." Her sister sighed then straightened her shoulders. "I need you to relax so I can give you the memories. It's not going to be very pleasant."

She nodded and closed her eyes focusing on getting rid of her tenseness. Az gave her a minute before she felt her magic reach out and wrap around the hand that was on the mirror. She quickly placed the other one on the frame and concentrated on her breathing as flashes of images and emotions shot into her rapidly. This was ten times worse than when she'd been stealing her sister's dreams. Her legs buckled at the onslaught and it took all her remaining energy to stay upright. She didn't know how long she stood that way but finally it ended.

She cracked her eyes open letting one hand drop so she could grip the mantel. "Thanks, Az. I'm sorry I needed those."

Az was white lipped and trembling. "It's ok little sister." She took a shuddering breath. "What else did you need to tell me?"

She laughed raggedly the memories momentarily forgotten. Az looked at her dubiously. "Can you keep a secret?"

She rolled her dark eyes. "Do we do anything other than keep each other's secrets?"

She snickered. "Guess what?"

Az huffed. "I refuse to play guessing games with you right now. Especially when our connection is this strained. We only have a few minutes left so spill."

A Cheshire grin spread across her face. "I'm engaged."

Her sister's pretty face was blank for a moment then she flipped. "You're what!" 

"You know about to get married."

"I know what being engaged means!" She snarked. Her eyes narrowed. "The Tin Man?"

She smiled in reply and Az smirked. "I want to be there when you tell Daddy."

Now she was suspicious. "Why?"

"Because he's going to have an aneurism when he finds out the man that was meant to keep suitors away from you swept you off your feet behind his back."

She raised an eyebrow. "He wanted Cain to scare them off?"

Az waved her free hand. "Of course. Who would cross him?"

She snorted. Oh that conversation was going to be lovely then. But this wasn't the time to fret over it. She had another question for her sister and she shifted in discomfort. Az tilted her head at her change in demeanor. "Now that you know that I need to ask you something about the whole soul splitting thing…"

Silence descended between them as Az waited. She groaned knowing there was no way to put this delicately. Her face heated up. "Arggg! Look the last piece of my soul made me go crazy. I sorta… lost control."

"I'm going to need more detail Deege."

She huffed looking to the ceiling. "Raw found out a piece of my soul was in Cain." Az made a strangled noise and she looked back down. Her sister had a hand over her mouth and her eyes were glinting. She narrowed her eyes. "_Anyway_, when I caught a different part of it in the maze I…"

Az lowered her hand. "You?" She was enjoying this too much.

"I jumped him."

"What?" Az's eyebrows came together. She was going to have to freaking spell it out. This was not cool.

"Jumped him! Tried to rip off his close, attacked him with love, started licking his-"

"Ok! Don't need that clear a picture!" Az had a hand up in surrender. "Deege your soul was just trying to reconnect completely. I take it you have most of it back in you?" She nodded. "I wouldn't worry. With most of your soul back in you it can overpower the smaller pieces. Since you're so strong willed I'm not surprised that it tried to get back what it wanted. But so you know getting a piece out of a person is going to be tricky. You're going to have to forcefully take it out if it won't return to you voluntarily."

"That sounds completely unpleasant. How am I supposed to do that? And is it going to hurt him?"

"It shouldn't hurt him although it may feel strange. You need to suck it out of him with your magic. I sent you memories of the witch doing it." Az closed her eyes briefly. "Make sure you're very clear about what you are trying to remove when you use that spell."

"Thanks Az." She paused knowing they didn't have much longer as the spell started to slowly drain. "If anything happens I need you to tell Cain that I didn't mean to hurt him. Will you do that?"

"Of course. But try to be careful so I wont have to. I miss you Deege."

"I miss you too. Say sorry to Glitch for me. I didn't mean to loose my temper."

Az managed to smile at her before the image faded out of existence. She removed her hand and slumped over. Taking a breath she walked slowly to the door and eased it open. Raw was against the far wall nervously watching Cain pace up and down the hall. "All done. You can come back in."

The men looked up at her and she let go of the doorframe intending to collapse on the sofa. She managed to collapse she just missed the sofa. Cain managed to catch her when she was inches from the floor. "You really need to start managing your magic better, Sweetheart." He scooped her up carrying her to the couch and setting down with her. She slumped against him wrapping an arm around his tense back and tucking her face in his neck. The memories Az had given her were starting to solidify and they were not enjoyable.

Cain held her close. "What's wrong? Why are you shaking?" Because he wasn't stressed enough. 

She sighed her arm tightening as she talked into his skin. "I can't tell you I'm sorry. I need you to trust me on this."

Cain growled his body shifting in agitation. She heard Raw let out a quiet mewl. "Ok, Darlin. But I want an explanation when this is over." 

"I promise. Now can you we stay like this for a while?" Her voice broke during the request. But she thought if he let her go now she might loose it.

The Tin Man's voice was soothing. "I'm not going anywhere. You can stay as long as you want." She let out a breath and snuggled closer to his body knowing the next few days were going to be awfully rough.

Author Note: Thanks for all the reviews! They are the highlight of my day! So leave me more!


	33. Chapter 33

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man!

She knew Cain was worried for a number of reasons. After all finding out the man that destroyed your family and locked you up was free and amassing an army would put anyone on edge. Then there was the whole concept that she couldn't tell him what she was planning, oh and just for fun add on to fact she had been shaking in fear for the last hour. That helped too. And she was going to make it so much worse for him as soon as she was calm enough to sift through these memories and use her magic.

After twenty minutes of her tightlipped silence and clinging he had asked Raw to use his gift on her. Under any other circumstances she would have welcomed his help, but she was afraid he would sense what she had done and practically leapt off the back of the couch to avoid his furry hands. If Raw touched her the game was going to be up before it started. The seer gave her a worried look as he felt fear and guilt wash around him. She was going to use that to her advantage. It was official this was the worst plan she had ever had. It had better damn well work.

The Tin Man had grabbed her and hauled her back to him as Raw backed away. Her breath was coming out in shallow pants as image after image of nightmarish scenes flashed in front of her eyes. She no longer blamed Az for having such horrible dreams; in fact she was surprised her sister was even sane. Every now and then she let one scene flash in Raw's direction further frightening the already nervous viewer. She felt Cain's fingers run through her hair and she tried to focus on that. She knew she was scaring him and fought against the panic threatening to overwhelm her. It wasn't working. She couldn't get enough air. She was going to betray him in the worst possible way but she didn't know what else to do.

Cain began rubbing slow circles over her back as he gave her calm orders. "Deep breath, DG." She sucked in oxygen her breathing hitching as she fought to obey him. "Good. Again. Breath in…Good now let it out." Her body began to respond to her and she slumped back against his chest welcoming the ability to breath and the last few moments of closeness she was going to have with him for some time if ever. It took a long time for the memories to stop. When they did she sat up straight Cain's arms falling from her shoulders down her arms. She wished him a silent goodbye preparing herself for the hardest thing she was ever going to do.

Time to put her plan into motion. Damn this was going to suck. "I'm going to the Ice Palace."

"What?" Cain let her go completely. "No." He didn't sound like he was going to budge on this one. He could guess again. She wasn't going to let him stop her.

She stood up heading to the bedroom to gather her things ignoring him and his words. Forget the horses she was going to call up a travel storm, it was way more dramatic and she was going to need one hell of an exit. She needed to magic up a coat before she left. And a hat, gloves, thicker socks-

Her line of thought was cut off abruptly when Cain's fingers wrapped forcefully around her upper arm. "You are _not_ going to the Ice Palace!"

She stared at him coldly hating herself for this. His eyes were stormy and worried. "Yes I am."

"No you're not. If this plan of yours involves you getting near Zero you better come up with a better one!" His jaw was set. Great he'd gone into protection mode. He couldn't make anything easy.

She spun so she could face him fully yanking her arm out of his grasp and poking a finger into his chest and smirking wickedly at him. "My plan, Tin Man? My plan is already complete. I am going to the Ice Palace. I am going to reclaim my army. I am going to get my soul back. Then I'm going to destroy the Outer Zone once and for all." 

Cain stepped back suddenly his eyebrows coming together. She saw Raw approaching them slowly and knowing she needed to put on a show she let loose a blast of magic knocking the healer off the ground and into the wall. He slid limply to the floor dazed by the impact. Now he wouldn't be able to feel any of the guilt that was about to start rolling off of her. Assuming she lived she was going to be apologizing for this for months. Cain gapped at her then went to grab her. Eyes flicking back to him she used her magic to toss him several feet back instantly. He hit the ground with a thud.

"DG! What the hell are you doing?" He twisted trying to get to his feet. She knocked him flat a second time with a wave of her hand.

"DG? I'm rather afraid DG isn't here at the moment." Startled blue eyes flew to her face and she walked closer to him holding him in place as her hand pulsed gently. "You really should have made sure your little princess killed me properly all those months ago."

"Stop this, DG! You're having a reaction to your soul again!" 

She let out a soft laugh never breaking eye contact. "Oh dear, Tin Man. I'm afraid it wasn't my puppets soul you were collecting. Did you really think I would be that easy to get rid of?"

He growled at her panic in his eyes. "DG, why are you doing this?"

She pushed every emotion she had away. She couldn't let him know she was pretending. She sighed dramatically. "You are a slow one. But all the noble ones are so very trusting." She began to circle him his eyes following her every move. As she walked she let her magic twist around her wanting to make this show as real as possible. Her cloths shimmered and twisted around her changing into the former witch's preferred style of dress.

The dark green vest she was wearing lengthened and tightened transforming into a black corset. Her loose fitting long sleeve shirt unfolded and thickened into a floor length red leather cloak as her pants shook loose into a fitted black skirt that fell to the toes of her boots. Great she looked like a dominatrix but she wasn't finished quite yet. Her nails darkened in color until they were a deep blood red and her hair floated up around her face curling and laying in the most intricate and imposing style she could come up with. She felt the glamour she was constructing fall into place last.

The whole thing took less than ten seconds. She completed her circuit around Cain watching as his face changed from shock to rage. Lifting a hand she swept it slowly over her chest constructing a second glamour that matched the tattoos her sister had sported. Disguise complete.

"Let her go!" He snarled at her. 

She smirked mocking him. "Poor thing. Did you love her? I have to say she has been putting up a better fight against me than her sister ever did." Note to self also apologize to Azkadilla. "She even tried to warn you after the sand skimmer left. She told you I was alive but did you listen?" He sucked in a breath obviously recalling her frantic excuse over why she destroyed the campsite. "But after the maze it was over." She ran her eyes along his body. "You were _so_ good to her. Comforting her the way you did. And I must say… You are very talented with your… hands."

Cain watched her silently eyes flashing. She stopped next to his face bending down so she was an inch away from his lips. Time to convince him that this was happening. "You don't have to let her go completely, Tin Man." She ran a nail across his cheek hard enough to draw a thin line of blood. "You've been very helpful to me despite the fact that you stopped me at the eclipse. I could use a new general; Zero lacks restraint. Come with me and I promise to let your darling little fiancé out to play once and a while. And to sweeten the deal you can have Zero as well."

Cain locked his frozen eyes on her his voice devoid of all emotion. "I'm going to kill you." 

She smiled seductively at him. "From the memories the girl is sharing with me I do think you've said that before. And… I do believe you failed to carry out that threat. However if you want to try you know where to find me."

She stood fluidly turning away from him and walking toward the balcony windows. Opening the door she began to call up a travel storm. As it formed she turned to look back at him over her shoulder. "And bring your son. After that private chat with my dear sister you allowed me I know just where he'll be. I'd hate for him to miss out on my welcome home party." With one last evil smile she stepped out of the room and let the twister take her. If that didn't get him to the Ice Palace in record time then she was a sand skimmer.

She was to low on magic to transport to Zero with any chance of survival. She had the storm drop her off in the one place she knew no one would be able to get her. She staggered out of the storm in front of the invisible mausoleum door. Raising her hand she used the last of her magic to get the doors to open. Walking in she sagged against the spiral railing as the door shut with a soft groan behind her.

She let her body fall to the floor refusing to look at the coffin that had almost killed her. She closed her eyes exhaustion taking over. She felt a single tear fall down her cheek and prayed to any higher being that was listening that Cain would be able to forgive her for this. Sleep snuck up on her before she was aware of it. 

She woke up screaming and disoriented. Once she got her bearings she relaxed slightly trying to work away the stiffness that accompanied a day spent sleeping on a marble floor. She had no idea how much time had passed but she wanted to give Cain and Raw time to get to the north country before she went anywhere. She sat up pulling her knees to her chest and cursing the corset. Like regular dresses weren't bad enough. She couldn't even breathe in this thing. She decided to focus on the positive. She had plenty of time to plan her approach and scan the witch's memories while she was waiting. 

And that's what she did for the next few days. That and horde her magic. She figured she was going to need one hell of a display to convince anyone that she was the witch. She ignored the hunger pangs that began to assault her until she gave in and shimmered some food to herself. At least listening to her stomach was a good way to keep track of time. She was eager to leave but knew that she needed Raw and Cain at the Ice Palace soon after she arrived, so she waited as patiently as she could.

It was the longest three days of her life. She sat and thought and paced and agonized over what she'd done to Wyatt and felt guilty and planned her strategy and oh yeah felt guilty. Over all it was god-awful. She could now imagine some of the thoughts that must have gone through Cain's mind while he was stuck in that suit. After a while she fell asleep again.

After the second time she woke up from a hellish nightmare she figured she'd given them enough time. She walked out of her family's tomb and took in the scenery. It was late afternoon the suns were edging toward the horizon. She stared at the landscape for a while trying to find an inner peace before she called up a tornado. Once she was ready she searched her minds eye for a clear image of the Ice Palace and the surrounding landscape. Latching onto it she used as little magic as possible to kick up the wind. Sand and leaves swirled around her as she was swept away.

She landed in a snow bank surrounded on all sides by snow covered pine trees. Hopefully no one had seen the small twister she had created. She had decided on a much flashier entrance. Creeping carefully to the tree line she tried to ignore the biting cold that was overtaking her body. Peaking through the branches she saw the palace in the distance soldiers patrolling around it like ants. Wonderful. At least none of them appeared to be heading in her direction. Which meant she hadn't been spotted when she landed.

She grinned grimly before she got into character. She straightened her spine and focused on all the dreams she'd been having of the palace. She found the image of the throne room she had been searching for and bent her magic toward it. Once she had a lock she shimmered herself inside. She had never tried to do this before but Az could so she was willing to bet she could teleport herself this way too. And she could.

She found herself standing silently on the dais in front of the Queens throne looking down on a war meeting. Around a long white rectangular table covered in maps and weapons five raggedly dressed Longcoats were having a heated discussion. She smiled wickedly pushing back all her fear when she saw Zero pointing angrily at one of the maps. It took him thirty seconds to look up and spot her. His blue eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped. 

She held the edge of her cloak up and sat gracefully down on the throne without breaking eye contact with him. The discussion around the table petered out of existence as the other men turned to see what their leader was staring at. Getting over his surprise Zero pulled his gun aiming it straight at her head. "Well imagine seeing you here, Princess."

She raised an eyebrow at him unimpressed and she saw confusion flash briefly in his eyes as he took in her appearance. "Put the gun down before I have shove you back in the suit I heard you crawled out of." His eyes flashed at her but she pressed on snapping at him. "You always did lack restraint and now its cost me the element of surprise!" She stood up stalking toward him. "Idiot! The Queen and Consort know you're here! And now I have to clean up yet another one of your messes!"

As she neared him walking past the other soldiers without even a glance he lowered his gun his head tilting this way and that as he looked at her. "Sorceress?" He murmured uncertainly.

Her lips twisted up. "Ah so you do have a brain. Perhaps I won't have to kill you after all." As Zero sucked in a surprised breath she knew Cain was going to kill her for sure.

Author Note: I want reviews! I want reviews! Goooooo reviews!


	34. Chapter 34

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man only the sand skimmers.

Oh sweet Ozma this was actually working. As she glared at Zero he slowly holstered his gun his eyes flickering with uncertainty and suspicion. She decided to head him off at the pass. "Don't look so surprised Zero. Did you honestly think an untrained girl mage could stop me?"

He shifted his weight and she heard the men behind her moving around. She ignored them knowing that showing any interest in them would be a dead give away. The witch didn't care about underlings, to her they were simply lackeys made to do her bidding, nothing more. "Forgive me Mistress." Zero's voice oozed insincerity. So he wanted to test her? She was so ready for that. "Perhaps you could tell us how you managed to survive the battle at the eclipse."

"Us Zero? Why should I explain anything to them?" She turned her head slightly to regard the other four men then returned her eyes to the blond in front of her. "Unless you think they won't believe what you tell them." She saw his eyes narrow at that answer, it was the right one and she knew it. She then dismissed him as well and moved around the table looking at the maps.

One of the men, a short man with closely cropped brown hair made to grab her. She smiled at him languidly and raised her hand hurling him unforgivingly across the room and into one of the many pillars that decorated the Ice Palace. He slammed into it with a sickening crack before falling to the ground in a tangled heap. She didn't spare the man's body a glance as she picked up one of the maps and began to scan it. The other three men backed away from her with amazing speed but Zero just let out a low, and in her opinion, severely disturbing chuckle. "Everyone out." He ordered. "And take Harding's body with you."

The men scrambled to obey and they were alone in seconds. She ignored the Longcoat's frantic movements quickly taking in Zero's battle plan. It was a good one she'd give him that. Now that the Northern Isle had been secured he could begin to take in the surrounding territories and more importantly the major trade route that ran through a nearby mountain pass. He would have a very valuable trading chip if he got a hold of that piece of real estate. Her thoughts were interrupted by the devious maniac in question. "Sorceress, I am so pleased you managed to survive."

She let her eyes slid up to his her face emotionless. She saw him fighting not to back away from her. Her voice was honey glazed when she began talking. "Of course you are, Zero. After all who would save you from certain death and your own stupidity if I weren't here?"

Zero puffed out his chest indignantly. "I assure you my plan is a good one and-"

She cut him off. "It was a good one until you let it leak that you were here. Now the Queen has most of the Royal Guard surrounding you." Zero's face paled considerably. "Had you waited another few weeks I would have been able to stop this from happening."

"How would you have done that?" He challenged her.

She raised an eyebrow looking all the world like an adult explaining a simple concept to a child. "The battle at the eclipse… had some unexpected side effects. I was forced out of Azkadilla's body by the emerald. A set back to be sure but I came out on top. This girl has far more magic than the older one." She had him now. He was leaning forward intrigued. "Still there have been… complications."

"Complications?" He prompted cautiously.

"Yes, it seems that the emerald scattered my powers around the realm. I've been gathering them up for the last few weeks as I took the girl over. I have one more piece to retrieve and it is located, conveniently enough, upstairs." She set down the map she had been scanning as she said this moving on to a supply list as she spoke. "You need to add more men to your southern patrols."

Zero had latched onto the story with a vengeance. "And once you get the last piece?"

"I will be more powerful than before." She said this with disinterest as if it hardly mattered. "Your supply line is very well guarded. Now take me upstairs."

Zero smiled at her obviously pleased and totally convinced that she was who she claimed to be. He walked confidently around the table and bowed to her before straightening and offering her his arm. She gave him a long calculating look before she conceded to take his arm. She fought back a shudder of disgust while her mind kept screaming 'homicidal maniac!' at the top of its voice. As they left the throne room they were greeted by over fifty confused or down right distrustful stares. Or at least she was, she ignored them her eyes trained on the stairs as Zero shot deadly looks all around them. She heard the soldiers start to whisper as news of who she was started to spread throughout the room.

She was more focused on not tripping than her fear. If worse came to worse she could always shimmer herself away. But she really needed to get her soul back before that could happen and the longer she could stay here the better. She already had access to their current plans and if she could stay in control she could convince Zero to throw his troops straight into a trap. She figured the Royal Guard would prevent any more Longcoats from getting here but from the logs she had seen they had over two hundred and fifty men in or around the Ice Palace right now.

In a defendable position this was so not a good thing. They could hole up here for months before they ran out of food. And with the current political position she knew the Outer Zone was in her parents couldn't afford to keep their army around this place for that long. Other countries might decide to get greedy and move in on their boarders. She wasn't about to let that happen even if she had to bring this place down around their ears.

She let her magic scan the area ahead of her as she searched for her soul. The unease she had brought with her fell away as they moved up the gently twisting staircase. Zero was keeping a tentative hold on her. She figured this was a good thing because the witch had been anything but emotionally stable. When they reached the top of the staircase she withdrew her arm from his and turned left walking swiftly and surely. She could feel the next bit of her soul wailing at her from her mother's old room.

She stopped herself from reacting to it in any way as she breezed into the room where the witch had killed her so many years ago. The door had been closed and sealed but she blasted it open with her magic without breaking stride. As soon as she entered the room she knew why. The window had never been fixed from where Cain had been shot out of it. The room was as cold as the world outside as a brittle wind blew in. She snapped her fingers and the window chimed as it reassembled itself. With a second wave of her hand the fireplace blazed to life in the hearth.

She turned her head to the bed feeling her soul trembling in terror below it. She let herself smile triumphantly as she glided over to the bed Zero watching her every move. She bent down on one knee gracefully lowering her head so she could peer below it. She saw the small light huddled behind one of the beds legs. She reached her hand out calling silently to it and projecting every soothing emotion she could at it. Zero had leaned down on the other side of the bed so he could see what she was doing. She heard him make a surprised noise in the back of his throat when the small ball of light leapt into her awaiting palm.

Thank Dorothy this one was compliant. The poor thing was so terrified that even the slightest promise of comfort had it hurling itself at her. As soon as it landed in her hand it absorbed back into her skin and she gasped as a wave of memories washed over her. She fought to control them knowing she didn't have the luxury of weakness at the moment. Seconds later she stood refusing to submit to the dizziness that rolled over her. As Zero rose up staring at her from across the bed she gave him a wicked smile and let her hands flare making sure they let off black sparks. "At last."

Zero smirked at her. "I take it you're feeling better?"

"Much." She paused. "Now take me to the rest of your commanders so we can stop the Royal Guard before they know we're aware of them." Her eyes swept over the room. "And have this room cleaned. These will be my quarters from now on." Zero tilted his head in acknowledgement and opened the door for her barking orders at a nearby soldier.

They spent the next four hours in conference and for the first time she really appreciated the witch's memories. She may have been evil but she understood strategy. It took a great deal of her own thoughts and concentration to twist these strategies to her advantage. After the first hour the rest of the Longcoats were convinced she was the witch and were all but simpering at her feet. It was kinda disgusting but she wasn't going to object. She was just beginning to relax when she heard commotion outside the throne room. The doors burst open and she glanced up with annoyance at the interruption.

Even though she knew this would happen, and had planned on it, she nearly lost all control when Gulch and Cain were dragged in looking the worse for wear. It was far harder to keep control over her features than she had thought it would be. She was cursing internally at herself mind racing while her face remained impassive. One of Gulch's eyes was swollen shut and his shoulder was bleeding badly. His uniform was ripped in several places and from the looks of it the guard that was holding him had had more compliant prisoners. Cain had a bruise along his jaw and was limping although he was making no move to fight the two men holding him. Both of them were dressed as Longcoats. She fought back a huff of amused irritation at the Tin Man as his ice blue eyes found her. He was so predictable.

His eyes flickered oddly as she stood and then he retreated behind his impassive mask. Zero recognized Cain seconds after she did. He stood a demented smile forming on his face as he drew his gun. No! Her mind raced as Zero pulled the safety of his gun back aiming straight at Cain's head. "My my my. You just don't know when to give up do you? Did you really think the Longcoat disguise would work twice? This time you aren't going to walk away, Wyatt Cain."

Ohhhhh damn it. Defuse situation right now. Phase two must begin pronto! She sighed dramatically as she stood up. "Put down the gun, Zero."

He turned to her rage in his eyes. "Are you mad? He's one of the main reasons you were defeated at the eclipse! He locked me in a damn suit, he-"

"_Enough_!" She turned on the man eyes flashing as her magic pulsed. Her voice was deadly soft as she stalked toward him. "Are you questioning me Zero? Have you learned _nothing_ of patience? Perhaps I should simply put you down now and train someone else in your place. I am tired of your lack of restraint!"

He spluttered and she narrowed her eyes. His jaw clenched shut and he rammed his gun away. "Then what would you suggest?"

She ignored him walking toward the two men. She wondered why Cain had brought Gulch of all people. Elmer started to struggle again as she neared them and was rewarded with a swift punch in his ribs. She fought down her disgust as she watched him fall to his knees. She turned her attention to Cain searching his bruised face. "Have you changed your mind?"

He growled low in his throat. "The Royal Guard knows you're here and what you are. Let her go and you might live."

"A no then? That's a shame." She waved her hands at the guards holding him and they let him go stepping back quickly. He yanked his arms to his sides back ramrod straight. "You got here very fast, Tin Man. And you even brought me a messenger. That was just so thoughtful of you." Blue eyes flashed at her and she heard Zero muttering under his breath behind her. She turned her head so she could look down at Gulch. "This is your lucky day, Sheriff. You get to live."

Gulch raised his head his one good brown eye widening in shock at her cold tone. She smirked down at him and flicked her fingers. In response to her magic a bandage wound around his shoulder stopping the blood flow. "You're going to go back to Jeb and tell him what happened here. Do you understand?"

Gulch staggered up to his feet when she indicated that the guards should leave him. She was impressed with how well he was standing up under the pressure. "And what exactly happened here?"

She gave him a sickly sweet smile. "I am so glad you asked me that." She whirled back around to Cain and moving quickly raised her hand to the side of his face very aware that they had a very critical audience. He locked his eyes on hers and she saw that same odd flicker in them. "All's fair in love and war, Cowboy." She let her eyes show everything to him for a split second before she spread her fingers and called to the last part of her soul. She really hoped he got the hint or they were all going to die. As white light streamed from his mouth he paled but his eyes flashed with the most startled comprehension she had ever seen.

As her soul finished pouring into her he collapsed to the floor in a silent heap. As he fell she pushed past what her soul was making her feel and cast a glamour over his body making sure he looked dead. She staggered backward from the force of the memories and the magic drain but Zero caught her elbow and steadied her. She regained her footing quickly and let her hooded eyes fall back on Gulch. "Tell your commander that the Princess is mine and that his precious father was the first one I had her kill. Do you understand?"

The former sheriff was staring don at Cain's body in horror. At the sound of her voice his eyes came back up to hers blazing. "Yes, I understand you." She saw a promise of revenge in his eyes though he kept the thought to himself. Apparently Gulch had learned a few things since he got here.

"Then go." She snapped the order and Longcoats parted on either side making a path for Gulch. He stared at her for a long moment before he turned and walked out of the throne room. She turned to Zero. "No one stops him. I want my message delivered."

He nodded absently as he stared at Cain's body. "And the body?"

She sighed. "Must I do everything?" She waved her hand and Cain's body shimmered away. "Now I think this meeting is over and I must say it went very well. I'm retiring to my room. I don't want to be disturbed unless it's an emergency." She strode out of the large room and as she passed one of the guards that had been holding Cain she discretely shimmered the Tin Man's six-shooter out of his belt and into the inside of her cloak.

"Sorceress?" Fuck all she was so close!

"What is it?" She didn't stop moving figuring the witch wouldn't stop for anyone.

"Where did you send the body?"

She paused and turned to him with a truly wicked smile. "Why to the Queen of course. I wouldn't want her to worry about the health of her precious daughter's bodyguard." As she continued her trek up to her new rooms she heard Zero's cackling laughter following her.

Author Note: If you want me to post you better review… And no, I'm not above backmail.


	35. Chapter 35

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Nope don't own it.

She had barely locked the doors to her new rooms when she found herself shoved hard against the wall next to them wrists pinned next to her head. "Silencing spell right now, DG!" Cain hissed into her ear. She complied instantly remaining motionless in his death grip. He had her body pressed flush against him and his face was next to her ear so she couldn't see his face. His hands were tightening and relaxing spasmodically around her wrists and his breathing was slightly ragged. He was really, really pissed off. She couldn't blame him.

She licked her lips trying to see him out of the corner of her eye. Placating him seemed to be her best bet at the moment. "Your guns in my coat over my left hip." He growled jerking her hands over her head and holding them there with one of his so hard she was afraid she was going to bruise as while he leaned back and reached into her cloak. She made absolutely no effort to fight him wanting him to calm down. She let the glamour over her face melt away as he was shoving his gun back in its holster.

His eyes finally found hers and instead of making her feel better all she wanted to do was shrink away. His Tin Man senses must have been on ultra observant mode because if possible the hand holding her wrists tightened and his free hand moved to her waist as he pressed his body weight against her. Running was apparently not one of her options right now. Somewhere in the back of her head, the little part of her that liked to make observations at the most inopportune moments noted that she had just spent the last ten hours in the presence of over two hundred severely dangerous Longcoats without flinching. And yet here she was faced with one angry Tin Man and ready to go hide under the bed. She told that part of her brain to shut the hell up.

"What the hell were you thinking!?" His shout caused her to jump in his very firm grip. Well good thing she put up that silencing spell. She opened her mouth to answer him but he cut her off still yelling. She had never had him raise his voice to her before and it scared her a little. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? It's my job to protect you and you up and ran off and straight into the hands of the most dangerous man in the Outer Zone! And you couldn't even run away like a normal person either! You had to convince me you were the god damned evil witch risen from the dead! Your lucky I understood what you were telling me down there or he would have had all three of us killed! Do you have any idea what you put me through?"

Wow that was a good rant and totally warranted. Guilt welled up in her and she felt tears prick at the back of her eyes when she spotted the hurt in his baby blues. She opened her mouth a second time now desperate to make him understand her motivations. He cut her off again sealing his mouth over hers. She whimpered at the force behind it and pressed up against him trying to convey her apology without words since he wasn't going to let her talk. He let go of her wrists and grabbed the back of her neck forcing her head up. Her now free hands went immediately to his shoulders clutching at him.

This kiss was anything but gentle as he nipped sharply at her bottom lip. She had a feeling he was trying to make sure she was there and very aware that he was in charge. When she thought she might pass out from lack of oxygen he pulled back eyes blazing and shook her neck. "Damn it, DG! Never again! Do you understand me?"

Like the opportunity to do this was ever going to come up again. She chose not to point this out. "Yes."

He growled in exasperation before yanking her head against his neck and holding her there breathing hard. She tentatively wrapped her arms around his neck afraid he was going to push her away from him and she had spent the last three days wanting to be right here even if he was angry as all hell. As soon as her arms went around him it was like a release valve had been activated. He slowly relaxed and the hand that was wrapped so firmly around her neck loosened and began to run over her hair.

She thought it might be safe to talk to him now. "I realize sorry in no way covers this but I can give you that explanation now."

He growled leaning back so he could see her face. "This had better be good, Sweetheart."

"I haven't been here long but I have Zero convinced I'm the witch. I have full access to all their plans and know what they're going to do in the next two days. Mostly because I'm the one that told them what they should be doing."

Cain gazed at her nothing getting past his eyes. "You're the one making battle plans." It was a statement not a question.

"Yeaaahhhh."

"And they're doing what you tell them to."

She looked at him skeptically. "Uhuh."

He snorted then amusement sparking in his eyes briefly before he covered it back up. "Is there a reason you had to convince me that you were the witch as well?"

"Cain, you can't act."

"What?" His tone indicated he did not understand the point of this statement and that she had best get to explaining or he might just knock her over the head and drag her out of here.

She tried to shift her weight but he tightened his grip on her again. "You were like…the icing on the cake ok? If they weren't convinced that I was the witch before they sure are now. I would never kill you and Zero knows it. If you had known I was acting you never would have broken in here after me guns blazing and threatening to kill me and not Zero, especially with the whole mortal enemies thing you two have. I had to make you think it was real. I'm _really_ sorry!"

"You put me through three days of hell and you're sorry?"

"No, I'm really sorry." It was the most pathetic thing she had ever said in her entire life but she meant it.

The Tin Man let out a heart filled sigh and ran a finger along her jaw. "You are aren't you?" She nodded empathetically. He rolled his eyes before he asked his next question his voice much calmer than it had been. "I take it this crazy plan of yours isn't done yet. What else do you have up that red leather sleeve of yours?"

She sagged in relief. "I'm going to give you all the plans I made for the Longcoats so you can trap them and, you know, save the day."

His eyes narrowed. "It sounds like your planning to send me away from you again, Darlin. That can't possibly be what you're suggesting."

"Wellll."

"No. There is no way I'm leaving you here alone."

"Oh come on! It's only for one more day! Besides I'm safe enough now that they think I'm the witch! Plus you're supposed to be dead!"

He growled again finally letting her go as he began to pace. She felt oddly lost without him holding her and wrapped her arms around herself. She watched him and suddenly feeling exhausted edged carefully past him so she could sit down on the vanity seat. The bed freaked her out a little, considering she had died on it. Even though she'd been very careful about storing magic she had been throwing it around like candy at a parade. It didn't help that she had gotten the last two pieces of her soul back in the same day. She lowered her head resting it on her hand and she listened to the sharp click of his boots on the mosaic floor.

He stopped suddenly and she looked up waiting. "How many are you going to be able to get out of the palace?"

She suppressed a smile pleased that he was at least willing to listen. "If you sit down I can give you the plans magically. It'll save a lot of time."

He moved to the bed and sat down as she stood trailing after him. She moved to stand between his legs and held out her hand stopping just short of touching his temple. "Ok?"

He nodded sharply and she placed the tips of her fingers against his head letting her light flow into him projecting everything she had learned, planned, and ordered in the last day. Once she was done she lowered her hand and stepped back letting him process what she had given him. His eyelids fluttered as if he were dreaming and she wondered if that was what she looked like when she had been stealing Az's memories.

His eyes opened suddenly and focused on her incredibly fast. His hand shot out and snatched her arm drawing her to him. He tugged her into his lap and she let him relaxing against his chest. "You are clever when you want to be, Sweetheart." She huffed up at him but let that slid since she had just royally screwed with his head. "But at least fifty of them are going to be left in the palace when this starts, including Zero. What are you going to do about them?"

She sighed and began to play with the buttons on his vest. "I figure most of them are going to be with me in the throne room…"

"That's a good observation. What are you going to do, DG?"

She fidgeted. "Use my magic to make the ceiling collapse over their heads. You don't think my parents will mind a little collateral damage do you? I can always fix it later."

He tightened his grip on her. "How are you going to get out?"

She blinked up at him in surprise. "I'll shimmer out as soon as it starts to fall. I can be at the fight as soon as it starts and help you."

He considered this for a long time his blue eyes boring into hers. "I can do this, Wyatt."

"I know you can, Darlin. That doesn't mean I have to like it." She leaned up so she could place a gentle kiss on his bruised jaw.

"I really am sorry about this, Tin Man… I missed you." He smiled softly down at her threading her hair around his fingers. She tried to slip away from him but he held her to him.

"Where are you going?"

She glanced up at him apologetically. "I have to get you back to Jeb before Gulch gets there. I don't want him to think I really killed you, or that I'm evil. Might cast a pall over our engagement. Assuming we're still engaged."

"As if I'd let you get away. It'll take him a few hours to get back and I'm not leaving you until I have to." He leaned down and kissed her neck as he said this and she sighed relief flooding through her as she clutched the back of his neck. He leaned back and sideways laying them both down on the bed and stretched out. He kissed her softly on the lips before breaking away and tucking her head under his chin.

"Wyatt?"

"Hush, Sweetheart. I'm hurt and you're exhausted." He rubbed his hand down her back slowly and she pressed her nose into the hallow at the base of his neck breathing him in. "Where did you go after you left? The memories you gave me only cover the last few hours."

"The mausoleum. It was safe there and no one but Az or the Queen could get in."

He grunted his hand sneaking under her cloak and caressing her into the most relaxing state. It occurred to her that she hadn't slept much or well while they were separated. "Why do you call her that, Darlin?"

"Call who what?"

"Why do you call your mother the Queen?"

She shifted uncomfortably but his hands soothed away her anxiety. "Well that's who she is."

"No that's her title. You called Emily your mom."

Her insides squirmed as she recalled her excitement over the french toast her Robomom had made so many days ago. "Your right I shouldn't have done that. I forgot."

"I wasn't criticizing you, DG. I just want to know what's going on in that head of yours."

"I don't know Cain. Its weird. I hardly remember the Queen and I don't remember Ahamo at all. Then when I am with them I have to constantly remind myself we're related. Then when I'm with my Roboparents I have to tell myself they're wired to love me." And ouch that stung like a mother.

"I could see how that would be confusing."

"Yeah well… What am I supposed to do? I can't pretend like the last fifteen years never happened and neither can they. I think I need to focus better is all." She yawned at the end of this her eyes getting heavy.

"Go to sleep, DG. I'll wake you up when I need to go."

Her fingers curled around his gun belt. "You promise to stay here and not do anything stupid?"

"What like you?" He snipped sarcastically.

"No, my plan was foolhardy but clever."

He chuckled softly. "More like impulsive and lucky. Never seen anyone pull of the stunts you do. But yes, I promise to stay here."

"Ok then." She nuzzled his neck contentedly as she drifted off not worried that outside the doors there were hundreds of Longcoats waiting to go to war. Her Tin Man was here and for the moment that was all that mattered. She could worry about the rest when she woke up.

Author Note: Ok your reviews were gladly received. I especially liked the suck up cookies and the ode that made me laugh so hard my roommate started to question my sanity. So I will welcome more and try to have the next chapter up soon but I have a ton of school stuff so please be patient with me. ;)


	36. Chapter 36

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I want Cain. Anyone know where he is?

She felt something tickling over her upper thigh and twitched snuggling deeper into her very warm pillow. Relaxing she decided it was awfully rude of her dream to begin tickling her and promptly forgot about the troublesome feeling as she drifted back off. Then the tickle turned into a caress and she felt fabric sliding up and over her knees in a silky wave. Her eyes fluttered open and focused blurrily on blue fabric as a warm weight settled over the skin under her skirt and trailed upward. "Wyatt." She breathed out his name as she pressed an open mouthed kiss against the base of his neck.

He rumbled letting his fingers splay out over the top of her thigh. She responded instinctively tossing her leg over his hip and pressing her chest against his in order to roll him onto his back so she could straddle him. In her half conscious state she forgot that he'd been hurt and when he let out a grunt of pain her eyes snapped fully open and she practically leapt off him. "Did I hurt you?" Hearing the anxiety in her voice he smiled ruefully yanking her back down onto the bed.

"Should have known better than to wake you up that way. Every time I touch you, you surprise me. Don't know why I was expectin anything different." He pulled her head forward so he could kiss her forehead. "One more thing we'll have to finish once this is over."

"One more? What else do we have to finish?" Her mind was trying to kick back into gear and she was worried she had forgotten something.

He looked her in the eye seriously. "Other than a conversation about your safety and running straight into almost certain death without talking to me first?" She winced but didn't have time to think of a response before he continued raising his hand to his eyes. "We also need to tell your parents were getting married and I need to get you a proper ring."

"I think I should take care of the parent part, Cain." He dropped her hand his eyes searching her sleepy ones.

"What? Why?"

"Might be safer for you."

He raised an eyebrow waiting for her to expand on this. She was about to when she heard a sharp knock on the door. She sat up quickly straightening her skirt as Cain swung his legs off the bed his hand on his gun. She leaned up grabbing a fistful of his hair and kissing him with all her might before she pulled back enough for her to speak to him. "I'll see you at sundown. Be careful. I love you."

His eyes spoke volumes to her in the few seconds she gave him. He pressed his forehead against hers and cupping her cheek pressed a swift loving kiss to her lips before she raised her hand, and focusing her thoughts on Jeb she shimmer the Tin Man away. Standing she gave herself two seconds to miss him as she threw on her glamour and made sure her outfit was on properly. Once she was positive she was back in character she dropped the silencing spell and let her magic swing the doors open as she stood facing the window.

"What is it?" She took note of the angel of the suns and realized she must have slept through the night. She turned her head so she could see whoever had walked in. It was Zero watching her warily, big surprise. She decided to make sure he was still aware of who was in charge. "Is everything ready?"

"Of course Sorceress. As soon as all our troops are assembled and we have their supplies organized they can move out. Five hours at most." He said this with the swift efficiency of a trained soldier. One that was sucking up.

"Good"

"If you'd like to see the preparations, I'd be glad to show you." Of course he would. Wouldn't want to mess anything up and piss off the witch later. If she _were_ the witch she'd probably kill him if he screwed up one more time. As it was she was going to kill him anyway so this whole sucking up thing was kinda pointless, but what the hell, he didn't know that. And if he hadn't been a crazy psycho murder she may have felt worse about planning to kill the man.

She took his offered arm and allowed him to lead her out of her room and down the staircase that lead to the entrance hall of the palace. For the first time since she found out she was a princess she was being escorted like the royalty she was down an elegant set of stairs as her loyal subjects watched her. And once again she found an expected experience to be anything than what she had been expecting.

She couldn't be in a freaking fruffy ball gown and led down the stairs by a handsome idiot nobleman to the adoration of a normal crowd of loyal subjects like a normal cornered princess. That would be the expected embarrassing thing, and then Az would get to make fun of her in her room afterwards as they tore off their too tight shoes and laughed at Glitch's perfect rhythm. But alas, she was being escorted by Zero and was being watched by a bunch of renegade Longcoats. It totally ruined the whole thing for her. She knew someone somewhere was laughing at the irony of this situation.

She needed to distract herself from these should have beens. "Have there been any problems?"

"None at all Sorceress." Oh she so heard that. She must be getting Tin Man senses by osmosis.

"Zero?" She said it sweetly with a not so subtle undertone of malice.

The blond shifted uncomfortably beside her and she could tell he was fighting not to let go of her arm. "Some of my, your, commanders are worried that we are sending to many troops out at once."

"I see." She turned her body so that they were heading to the throne room. The soldiers parted before them like a wave. Once they were safely inside she closed the door behind her with her magic and Zero jumped. Her eyes took in the large room quickly and once she was sure they were alone she gave the man instructions. "Picture the men that are questioning me."

He looked at her oddly. "What?"

"Picture them!" She snapped at him. She saw him shake his head briefly and she raised her hand to his forehead. He balked shrinking away. "Stay still. I'm not going to kill you." She quickly sucked out the images of the men and let her hand fall easily to her side.

She went over the men in her head recognizing two of the four from the meeting they had yesterday. One had been far more outspoken than the other that had pretty much blended into the wallpaper. Well then that made it easy. "Bring all the commanders here and have a good replacement ready." She slinked up to the man and ran one blood red nail down his neck absently her voice sweet again. "I am getting so tired of having to inspire fear and awe in people, Zero." She saw the hairs on his neck stand on end but he rallied himself stepping back and sweeping her a bow before turning on his heel and exiting the room.

She sighed once he was gone and walked up white stairs to the throne. She arranged her skirts carefully and waited feeling sick to her stomach over the number of people she was being forced to kill in this production of hers. It didn't much matter that she knew they were bad and a threat to the kingdom and her family and her. It still hurt something inside of her. She pushed her feelings forcefully away knowing there would be time to think about this later. She began to tap her nails on the arm of the chair impatiently.

She heard the doors open and she let her eyes fall briefly over the unsuspecting men before she turned her attention to her nails. Zero walked up the stairs so he could stand next to her and she looked back up. He was like a really dumb dog. Made things easier for her she supposed. Standing below her were ten men all of them appearing to be utterly pleased to be in her presence. She sensed some of them pretending and not just because she knew which ones were worried about her.

"I understand that a few of you are questioning my plan of attack." She saw a stirring in the small crowd. "I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter so I can clear up anything that may have caused you confusion."

The loudmouth stepped out of the small group of men. He was tall and bulky with dark hair. If he'd grown up on the Otherside he could have been a linebacker. "All due respect, Sorceress, but sending out that many troops to one location could be costly. No telling what the Resistance has in store. Especially with that young Cain boy in charge."

She nodded and waved a hand to indicate the floor was still open. Emboldened one of the other men that she had gotten from Zero stepped forward. The man in question remained still and silent next to her elbow. "It is a good plan, Sorceress. However caution may be needed."

She turned her attention to the silent older commander standing in the back of the crowd. She could recognize a serious threat when she saw one. He was average looking in every respect except his eyes were sharp and questioning. They reminded her of her own curious gaze and in this situation she simply couldn't afford to have him around. A loudmouth was easy to control. It was the strong silent type that she was worried about.

She stood up gracefully walking with catlike grace down among the men. They shifted so she could move between them and she suddenly felt very much like a mouse playing with a bunch of tigers. She ignored this feeling as she wove around them every now and them letting her hand run over one of them. She made her way slowly around them watching their reactions with interest. The man in the back never let his eyes waver from her. She was suddenly very worried that she had been found out but she kept her composure and her slow pace working her way casually toward him.

When she did find herself next to him she was disturbed to note that he had drawn discretely away from the crowd and they were now several feet away from the other men. She smiled crookedly at him letting her magic build knowing he was going to try something. She circled behind him noting that he made no move to touch any of his weapons. She leaned in close whispering in his ear so no one else could hear them. "I hear you also have some doubts about my plans, Captain."

His voice was as soft as hers when he answered. "No, Highness. I think your plan is going to be very effective for what you have in mind." His speech was educated and precise, in direct contrast with most of the other men here. And he had called her Highness not Sorceress. Warning bells started going off in her head.

She moved in so her lips were a hairs breath away from his ear. "And what might that be, Captain?"

"Do you really want to discuss that in front of everyone?" He responded his lips barley moving and his eyes flicking up to the dais were Zero was watching them intently. Ok, now she was curious.

"Picture it then if you're so worried about them." She raised her hand so he could see it glowing out of the corner of his eye. His jaw clenched almost imperceptibly but he tilted his head in a graceful manner. She laid her hand on the nape of his neck and let his thoughts flow into her. She was lucky she was so used to surprises because this one was a doozy.

She kept her face smooth as flashes of the mans last fifteen annuals flashed in front of her. He'd been in the Royal Guard as a very young man and educated in the palace before the witch had been released. Then he'd joined the Resistance. Fuck, he'd never left the Resistance. He was a spy and a saboteur, a very good one. This man must have saved hundreds of people doing this from what he was showing her and he knew who she was. She wanted to know what she had done to give herself away. This man was as brave as Cain and as crazy as her. She liked him immediately. Now all she had to do was keep him alive.

She let her spell go and smiled seductively up at Zero from behind his shoulder while she put a slight amount of pressure on his neck. She whispered one more thing in his ear before she moved on. "When the troops leave stay close to me." She felt the tension leave his shoulders and knew he hadn't been a hundred percent sure she wasn't the witch. Talk about a gamble.

She walked back toward the throne and as she passed the outspoken soldier he made the last mistake he ever would. "So you agree that we shouldn't send so many troops out?"

She turned to him and smiled. "Yes. Yes, I do." She raised her hand a blasted him with a bolt of energy smashing his body back into five more of the men and knocking them off their feet. "In fact, I think having one less man on the field is an excellent idea." Men scrambled to get the body off of them and the rest backed hastily away from her. "Any more questions, or has that cleared everything up?"

Silence greeted this and she stalked back up the stairs and sat down. "All of you get out! If I hear so much as a whisper of a rumor that you don't agree with my strategy you'll go the same way as him!" The Longcoats scattered, it took three of them to drag the big man's body out.

Once they were gone she addressed Zero without looking at him. "The man I talked to in the back. What's his name?"

"Whitfield. He's always been a good enough soldier. Do I need to get rid of him?"

"No. I want him to stay here with us when the troops leave this afternoon."

She sensed Zero shift more than heard him. "May I ask why?"

"He has a good head for strategy. I don't want him killed by accident."

"If that's what you want I'll have his division reassigned to a different Commander." He paused for a moment. "If you don't need anything else I'll make sure everything is ready."

She nodded and waved him off. "No, everything is going very well." As Zero walked past her she saw him smirking happily at her grudging praise. She'd let him content himself with the details while she started to conserve her magic. She would need it if she was going to shimmer two people out of the palace.

Author Note: No more term papers! Why! Leave me a review or I may have a nervous breakdown and die.


	37. Chapter 37

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Since I can't have Cain I decide to create my own character. So I hope everyone loves Whitfield!

An hour before the troops were set to leave the doors to the throne room opened. Her eyes came down from her serious contemplation of the ceiling. She thought one good blast to the two biggest pillars would send the whole thing crumbling down. Her eyes landed on the hazel-eyed gaze of her new friend Whitfield. "General Zero told me I should report to you, Sorceress."

She didn't break character as she beckoned him closer with one finger. As he approached her she let her magic slam the doors shut behind him. Once the man was on the stairs around her seat she cast a small silencing spell around them. She refused to cast one over the whole room; it would take up far too much of her magic. The one she did cast ended up looking a lot like a freakishly big bubble.

She propped her cheek on her hand and looked at him with a crooked grin. "You know your crazy don't you?"

The man's lips were twitching like mad. "Me your, Highness? That's really the pot calling the kettle black isn't it?"

She snorted. "Fair enough. But I have to ask what gave me away. I really thought I deserved an Emmy for that performance."

He raised an eyebrow. "An Emmy? A Golden Globe maybe but certainly not an Emmy." She slid sideways in her chair and her face fell off her hand. She was sure a look of pure shock must have registered on her face. Soft laughter bubbled out of him. "I spent the first fourteen years of my life on the Otherside, Highness. Although I have to say it's been a while since I've gotten to use any pop references. And judging from the look on your face I'm guessing not many people ever know what you're talking about. You'll get used to it in a few annuals. Or have a nervous breakdown and start shooting people out of pure and righteous frustration. Coincidentally that's what tipped me off. You can't just go around calling people Sheriff and Cowboy if you're the evil witch."

"Ok then. You're just freaking full of surprises aren't you?" He grinned at her and she rolled her eyes. "And it's DG by the way. At least when were not surrounded by Longcoats."

He nodded hazel eyes dancing for a moment before they turned serious. "High- DG, its only a matter of time before Zero find out you've tricked him. He will kill you."

"He only needs to think I'm evil for about another, ohhh, two hours really."

His eyes took on a calculating look. "You're going to kill him?'

She said nothing to this but he got his answer. He nodded his head slowly. "I need you to be next to me when everyone is in here. And I mean right next to me, Whitfield. And make sure you have something on underneath your cloths so no one thinks you're a Longcoat out to kidnap me."

He gave her a perplexed look but didn't argue. "I have a feeling I'm not going to enjoy this. And my name's Eli, DG."

She sighed. "No, you probably won't. But you better leave for now. I don't want Zero thinking I have a new favorite and shooting you." She gave him a small smile. "I'll see you soon, Eli. Hope you're ready to make some new friends in the Royal Guard."

"Oh always." With that he turned around walking down the stairs as she dropped her spell, both of them pulling their false identities back around themselves. As he opened the door Zero stepped in past him. He gave the blond man a nod of deference before he disappeared from her sight.

"Sorceress." She raised an eyebrow at him. "The troops will be ready to leave in less than an hour. I thought you might like to eat while we waited." She tilted her head in silent agreement hoping he hadn't had any of the food poisoned.

Forty minutes later she was glad to report that he hadn't. In fact the food was very good. It could have simply been the fact that this was the first time she'd eaten since she'd gotten her soul back in her. Everything about life seemed to be just a little more solid and real now that she was whole again. She was so interested in this discovery she forgot to be nervous about what she had to do. Which was probably a good thing seeing as Zero was watching her. She didn't need to tip him off about who she was as well.

As soon as they were finished Zero rose and escorted her to the main hall and up the stairs so they could look down over the balcony at the men as they left. As she watched them forming into lines Eli and the one other commander that was staying behind walked up behind her. Zero let go of her arm so he could speak with him and she took the opportunity to start shimmering as many supplies and weapons as she could away from the Longcoats below her.

It took a great deal of focus not because of the amount of magic that was required but because she was using the same principle she did when calling up a travel storm. She had to focus on the destination of the objects and when the destination was a person and not a specific place it made it a hell of a lot harder. Hopefully she was getting the things beside Jeb and not directly over his head. She also had to be careful about how much she took. She didn't want any of them to notice that they were losing weight to their packs so she could only remove one or two items from every man. Hopefully it would be enough to make a difference, even if it was a small one.

And then before she knew it the doors were thrown open and an intense blast of icy wind tore across the hall. She fought back a shiver and continued to shimmer things away as the men marched out into the snow and Zero stepped forward to stand next to her. "They'll be at the battle sight in ten hours. Once the Royal Guard has been crushed nothing will stand in your way."

"Very Good, Zero." She saw him puff out at her compliment. "Gather the rest of the remaining men in the throne room. I have an announcement to make."

"An announcement?" She heard the hesitance in his voice.

She nodded letting her eyes go distant as if she were listening to someone far away. "Yes, the next step of my plan needs to be known."

The man visibly relaxed at her bland tone and body language. "Of course. I'll make sure everyone is present." His eyes darted around as she continued to stare blankly off into space. Come on Zero… Be the good dog. "Whitfield, take the Sorceress back to the throne room and stay with her." Eli moved forward obediently and Zero grabbed his collar twisting it roughly. Her self-control was tested once more as she stood passively by watching the marble floor far below them. She heard him hissing into the man's light brown hair. "No one and nothing disturbs her when she's like this! Understood?"

Eli must have made some sort of affirmative gesture because the next thing she knew he was next to her and offering her his arm. "Sorceress?" His voice was steady and had no hint of pressure in it. He was making it clear that he had all the time in the world for her to decide what she wanted to do. After a moment she accepted his arm and allowed him to take her back down the staircase.

When they walked though the doorway of the throne room she whispered out of the side of her mouth. "Keep your hand on me." She saw his eyes dart to the side to look at her as he helped her sit down. He stood next to her and allowed his fingers to graze the back of her arm discreetly as men started to file into the room. Five minutes later and over fifty men were standing around the room as Zero wove his way past them and up toward her.

She braced herself and stood up as he approached. "Thank you, Zero." The doors of the room slammed shut with a resounding bang and the men shifted nervously. She felt Whitfield grab her arm in a vice like grip as her eyes locked on Zeros. That's when he knew something was terribly wrong in his world. His pale blue eyes widened and he lunged at her as she raised her hand and let loose the most powerful shockwave of energy she had ever attempted. It hit the two central pillars she had been aiming for and a crack echoed loudly across the room.

The noise was so loud it covered the sound of Zero's gun going off. But it couldn't cover the blinding pain that tore up the side of her body as the ceiling started to cave in. She screeched loudly and would have fallen if Eli hadn't flung his body around hers. His chest was pressed against hers and his back was now to over fifty panicked Longcoats that were about to be crushed to death. And Zero had his gun out. Eli's arms supported her as her blood seeped into his shirt and her head fell back. She saw the ceiling falling down over them and adrenaline crashing through her she let loose her magic completely focused on Cain. As they began to vanish she felt a sharp jerk and she dug her fingers into Eli's black leather jacket yanking him forward with all the magic she had.

They crashed into hard snow packed earth rolling apart in a shower of white flakes. She screamed as her back slammed down pain radiating from below her ribs and outward. She vaguely heard distant shouts of surprise and then her eyes snapped open in absolute horror when she heard Zero cursing. Did she have 'I take hitchhikers' stamped on her head? She tilted her head up and tried to scramble to her feet completely aware that her magic was gone and Zero was stalking toward her cocking his gun. There was no way in hell the Royal Guard was close enough to help her and as she moved a trail of dark blood followed.

She'd forgotten about Eli. The older man hit Zero around the middle in a running tackle knocking the gun from his hand as they both went sprawling in the snow. They began to fight brutally and she started screaming at the top of her lungs for help as a wave of dizziness washed over her. For the first time that she could remember she was completely and totally helpless. It scared the living hell out of her. The fight ended suddenly as Zero managed to roll on top of Whitfield and deliver a brutal punch to the man's jaw. He went limp and lay still on the blood splattered snow as her vision started to go dark around the edges.

Zero got to his feet and scooped up his gun cocking the hammer back as he sauntered toward her. "I'll be twice damned, Princess. You had me fooled and killed a number of my men. But you won't live long enough to celebrate it." He raised his gun pointing it at her head as he stood over her.

She spat at him defiantly. "Fuck you, Zero. Your army's walking into a trap. By this time tomorrow they'll all be dead." She smiled triumphantly up at him. "Even if you kill me I win."

He snarled his eyes a light with madness as he kicked her hard in her shot side. She screamed in agony her body curling in on itself. "Do you think you've won now, Princess? As you're lying in agony at my feet your life's blood draining away?"

She started to laugh around the pain then. "Hell yes. Do you know why? Look around Zero. I brought us the Royal Guards camp. No escape for you either. Game over." He snarled and kicked her again so hard her body rolled a few feet away. She couldn't move as she forced her eyes open again. She gasped for air around the pain that was now trying to rule her and locked her eyes on his and her body started to get cold.

He aimed his gun between her eyes and she saw his finger begin to squeeze the trigger. She heard a shot go off and her body jerked in surprise when Zero fell to his knees next to her his eyes blank with surprise and a snarl still firmly on his face. She saw blood blooming like a rose on his chest as he looked down then he toppled over and stopped breathing. Oh that was so messed up. She closed her eyes trying to get her body to keep breathing because it was becoming increasingly difficult as time went on.

She heard feet pounding toward her and then skidding to a halt next to her. "Sweetheart!" Cain's hand was suddenly on her cheek and then she heard him hiss and assumed he had spotted all the blood. "DG! Open your eyes!" She complied finding it very difficult to do what he asked her to.

Once they were open she managed a very strained smile. Although she bet it looked a lot more like a grimace by the look on his face. "Nice shot, Cowboy." He gave her a quick look of pure irritation before he ripped off his coat and pressed it against her side applying pressure. She let out a shriek and tried to pull away but he grabbed her good side and held her still.

His head went up and he shouted to someone. "Go get Raw! Now!" She heard someone change direction and he looked back down at her. "Don't worry, Darlin. As long as I stop the bleeding until he gets here you'll be fine. The bullet didn't hit anything vital even though it's a through and through."

She found it in her to roll her eyes. "Well that makes it feel a lot less painful, thank you."

Cain's lip twitched. "You got shot. It doesn't feel good."

"Yes, and then I got kicked. Twice. That was plain rude." Her eyes fluttered shut again and she shivered.

The Tin Man snapped at her. "Keep your eyes open!" He hit her cheek lightly and she forced her eyelids apart. "Talk to me while we wait. The Furball will be here in a minute. Is there a particular reason you decided to bring two Longcoats with you?"

"Oh you know, just for funsies."

"DG, I swear…" She saw him smile despite his worry.

"The nice unconscious man over there saved my life so don't hurt him. He's been spying for the Resistance for years." Cain gave her the look. "Long story." She was staring to gasp out her words. "Anyway, meant to bring him with me and then Zero decide to crash the party after he freaking shot me. Eli jumped him while you were running over to help. I think you pretty much saw the rest." His hand caressed her face and she leaned into it. "So how was your day honey bunch?"

He snorted and looked up as a shadow fell over her. "DG hurt. Cain move now." She felt amusement ripple through her as Raw forcefully shoved Cain away from her. He peeled the duster away from her side and tossed it to the side uncaringly. "Need Cain's razor."

Cain handed it to him immediately and Raw carefully cut her corset away from her body. He set the razor aside and began to peel away the fabric that had been pushed into her wound by the bullet. She whimpered in pain and he paused for a moment when she fought off a blackout. "Don't fight, DG. Ok to pass out now. Raw here."

"Hey Raw?" He looked up at her face. "I'm really sorry I threw you against the wall."

Raw smiled at her and purred. "Raw know DG not mean it. Now fix Princess so she can make it up to Raw later." As darkness overtook her she was slightly nervous about what that might involve.

Author Note: Oh that was exciting to write! I love and hate the ends of my stories, but don't worry there are a few more chapters left. And a few more chapters for you to express your feelings, thoughts, and criticisms. All are welcome! So hit that button on the left!


	38. Chapter 38

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Don't own Tin Man only Eli! And he likes me most so back off ladies!

When her eyes opened she was confused. Everything was flat and green. This couldn't be right. They were definitely in the North Country and the world wasn't two dimensional by nature. She was pretty positive. Almost for sure. Maybe she should check to be certain. She blinked her eyes rapidly and sat up. Or she tried to. She was almost straight when her side twinged and she flopped back down onto the bedroll she'd been laid on. "Ouch!"

Oh, well, the green was the tent. That was logical. Her arm went around her side and she carefully pulled up an old shirt that she'd been dressed in up to the bottom of her rib cage. As the fabric bunched up she smelled Cain coming off of it and felt better. Where was he anyway? Where was anybody for that matter? She propped herself up on her elbow and craned her neck so she could see her side. She had a really gnarly new scar. That was so not pretty. It was red and shiny and kinda puffy. She tilted her hip to the side and twisted her neck further. Great… her scar had a twin on her back. A matching set, she didn't think they needed to be like shoes. She pursed her lips together and shoved the shirt back down.

She tossed a blanket off her legs and with a determined huff she managed to get to her knees. From her new and terribly impressive height she surveyed her new territory in order to locate a pair of pants. She frowned when she didn't see any and lifted up the blanket thinking they might be hiding. She wouldn't put it past pants in the Outer Zone to hide form their owners. No luck. If she hadn't thought she'd freeze to death if she left the tent she would probably venture outside even with all the soldiers she was sure were milling about. Surely the Tin Man's shirt came to at least mid thigh.

Her contemplation about its length came to an abrupt end when the tent flap was opened and Cain ducked in pulling it closed tightly behind him before any cold air could get in. He froze as he turned bent almost double when he spotted her sitting up on her knees with the blanket stretched out between her hands. He raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for my pants." She bent her head over the other side of the blanket still convinced they might be there if she looked hard enough.

He snorted and crossed the small space between them so he could sit next to her. She dropped the blanket and looked over at him before she threw her arms around his neck figuring she could find her pants later. His arm wound around her back and hugged her closer. As soon as she was close enough to him she swung her leg around so it was hooked around his middle, her other leg following closely behind. He sighed softly into the top of her head as his other arm came up to tangle in her hair as she buried her face in his neck.

"I nearly lost you, Sweetheart." His voice was gruff and muffled by her hair. Her arms tightened around him as she attempted to get closer to him. "He could have killed you. The same man and I almost didn't make it in time." His voice hitched as his fingers twitched over her skin.

She leaned back and grabbed his head so they were facing at one another. His eyes had that haunted look in them again. "Wyatt, I'm right here." Her fingers traced his cheekbones. "You saved me. You always do." She could see him fighting some kind of battle within himself and pressed on knowing the best way to make him feel better was assuring him that she was safe.

"You let me do what I had to. I mean sure, I got shot and it hurt like a mother. But I'm all better-" He looked at her skeptically and poked her side gently. "Oww!" She smacked his hand. "Fine! I'm almost all better." He looked toward the top of the tent shaking his head. She tugged on his hair to get his attention back.

"But bonus! I made a shiny new friend and bunches of Longcoats are dead and the rest are walking straight into my super smart trap. And you killed your arch nemeses and saved the damsel in distress." She pointed to her own chest. "That's me by the way." His jaw twitched but she saw the smile he quickly repressed so she kept up her awesome rant. "Oh! I also got to become a kleptomaniac and steal a bunch of stuff from the evil soldiers, you know the one walking toward my super smart trap?" He opened his mouth to inject something but she cut him off by placing her hand quickly over his mouth. His eyelid twitched "Yup, those ones. I sent the supplies to Jeb. See? So over all, other than the whole I got shot thing, pretty good day right?"

He took hold of her wrist so he could remove her hand from his mouth. "I see how you do it now."

She looked at him skeptically. "Do what?"

"Stop me from getting angry."

She put on her innocent eyes. "I don't have to do anything, Cowboy. I'm too cute to be angry at."

"No, that's not it." He said this firmly and she huffed at him. "You just keep talkin till your crazy nonsense actually starts to make sense. Or I forget why was angry to begin with."

She grinned at him and thrust her hips against him. "That and I'm not wearing pants."

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath taking hold of her hips. "We can't do this now." He sounded so sad. She pouted at him and began to nibble up his neck.

"So let me get this straight. You left me in what I'm assuming is your tent." She arched up so she could lick the shell of his ear. "Without pants." He groaned. "After heroically saving my life and your not going to do anything about it?"

He held her firmly away from him although she refused to unhook her legs completely. "Not right now." His voice was strangled as she ran her fingers around the collar of his shirt. "Your not helping, DG."

"I wasn't trying to help. Well I _was_. Just not the way you wanted me to."

He grumbled at her then tugged her lips to his in a sweet kiss his fingertips dancing across her scalp. Warm shock waves danced down her body and she hummed moving closer to him again before he abruptly pulled away. He grinned triumphantly at her and she gapped at him. She punched his arm the way he'd taught her and he winced. "You're mean!"

Then he smiled and she got suspicious. "If your going to start insulting me then you don't get your surprise."

She perked up immediately. "A surprise? What surprise?"

He chuckled at her eagerness and his hand disappeared into his vest pocket. Then it stopped and he looked at her. Her eyes darted from his pocket to his dancing blue eyes. He was being purposefully sneaky! When he still didn't move she made a soft whining noise in the back of her throat and began to wriggle around on his lap. "What is it?"

He laughed at her. He laughed at her! "You have no patience at all do you?"

"Not when your taunting me with surprises! Gimme!" She began to poke him in the ribs to get him to give her the goods.

"Alright! Enough with the jabbin!" He pulled his hand form his pocket and before she could see what he had he fisted the object in his hand. She poked him again. He grunted and somehow managed to get her back on the bedroll next to him. Then to her absolute and utter bewilderment he got on one knee and pulled her left hand into his. She looked up at him confused.

His eyes sparkled and she suddenly knew what he was doing and her face began to heat up. His thumb grazed her knuckles as he opened his other hand and she caught sight of a glint of silver. "Dorothy Gale, will you marry me, Sweetheart?" Her jaw worked furiously for a few seconds and then she gave up and nodded her head vigorously. He gave her his DG smile and slipped the silver band over her finger. As soon as it was secure she pounced him knocking him out of his kneeling position and onto his back. He let out a grunt even as his arms wrapped around her back.

She started making the silliest incoherent noises while she peppered his face with kisses. He laughed up at her not even attempting to return her swift fire kisses. When she finally calmed down she grinned down at him and planted one last kiss smack on his lips. "I love you!"

He propped them up using his elbow before pushing them up completely. "I'll take that as a yes. And I love you too. Are you even going to look at the ring?"

She blinked at him in shock. It actually hadn't occurred to her to do that. She'd been to excited about what the whole thing meant. He snorted at her as she processed this so she lifted her hand to eye level. It was a silver band that looked as if it had been woven out of several pieces of metal with a beautiful dark blue oval stone set in the center. She tilted her hand and the stone changed hues. She sucked in a breath and tilted her hand at a different angel. The light blue color the stone had shifted to a sky blue color. "What is it?" She breathed.

"What do you mean?" She looked up at him for a millisecond then back down at the ring turning her hand this way and that.

"How's it change color like this?" This was the most fascinating piece of jewelry ever. It wasn't just shiny. It changed color. So freaking cool.

He reached for her hands twining her fingers with his and she saw a similar matching silver band on his own finger. Her eyes found his again. "It's a water stone. They all change color like that. It's in there nature."

"It's beautiful." He smiled at her obviously proud of himself. "I wanna show Raw and Jeb! Where are my pants?" She scrambled off of him her eyes darting around the tent once more. She suddenly found herself lifted off the floor and squeaked indignantly. Cain ignored this tossing her over his legs a tugging the bedroll back revealing her skirt and socks. "You stashed them under the bed? Why?"

"So you wouldn't leave the tent if you woke up and I was gone. Don't act like I don't know how that mind of yours works. Your boots are behind my pack." She rolled her eyes at him but was too giddy to care at the moment. She bounced off him snatching up the skirt and closing her eyes so she could concentrate more fully on her magic. She was still tired and didn't want to use any more then she needed to before the Longcoats showed up at the battle site. After a few moments the skirt shook itself back into a pair of black pants.

She shimmied back into them and then struggled into her socks and boots as quickly as possible. She fell over sideways in her haste and crashed into the Tin Man's hip as she was putting on her last boot. He looked down at her trying not to laugh and hooked an arm under hers and hauled her up. "Hazard."

She smiled cheekily back. "Grump." Then she tugged on his arm heading for the tent flap. "Time to find my Viewer."

"DG, it's going to be cold. We'll head to the healers tent and find you a jacket, it's doubling as a supply closet." She turned to nod and then tilted her head at him.

"Where's your duster? Aren't you cold?"

"It's in the tent we're heading to covered in blood." Ohh yeah. She remembered that now. She could fix that when they got there. She pushed the tent open sliding her hand down Cain's arm and down to his hand. He held her hand firmly as they ducked out of the tent and into the bright afternoon sun. She shaded her eyes with her free hand trying to block some of the light that was bouncing off the snow all around them. She shivered as the cold began to affect her and Wyatt directed her to the left.

As they headed toward the biggest of the tents several of the soldiers waved to her. She grinned when she recognized them from Milltown and greeted them in return before Cain hustled her past them. She stuck her tongue out at the back of his head and they muffled their laughter when he turned and gave her an accusing look. She shrugged and pointed at the men that were laughing. He glared at her. "I know it was you. I don't know what you did. But it was you." She grinned offering nothing as he rolled his eyes and pulled the tent flap open.

Stepping in she was pleased to note the tent was even bigger than she thought it was from the outside. The top of the tent was at least seven feet high and most of the tent was dedicated to cots for the wounded. Only two were occupied. In the far corner a number of crates and barrels were neatly stacked and waiting to be used. Raw was sitting next to one of the occupied beds in a healing trance while Jeb stood by watching with his arms crossed over his chest.

She waited silently until he was done and looked up from what he was doing. He grinned at her his dark eyes welcoming as he stood up and opened his arms up. She giggled jumping across the space between them. He engulfed her in a warm fuzzy hug and gave a rumbling laugh. "DG very very happy. Feel better?"

"Yeah! Thanks for healing me!" He grinned down at her and set her on his feet. "Look what Wyatt gave me!" She flashed her hand up bouncing ecstatically and Raw had to grab her hand so he could see what she was trying to show him. Jeb was grinning behind him obviously amused by her excitement. He'd probably already seen the rings. Raw eyed the ring carefully and his eyes darted to Cain for a split second before they came back to her face and he smiled at her.

"Pretty. DG like." She smiled even wider her eyes crinkling. "Raw heal spy. Should be awake in a few minutes." She went up on her toes so she could see over his shoulder. Eli was breathing deep and even on the cot Raw had just left. His hand was starting to twitch as his body started to return back to the land of the living.

"Oh good. Thanks again, Raw." She side stepped him and trotted over to the stool plopping down. She heard Cain and Raw move behind her. She saw the Tin Man put his hand on his gun as Raw sat on the edge of the cot behind her. Jeb was standing at the end of the cot his fingers drumming on his thigh. "No worries Jeb. He's a good guy."

Jeb glanced up at her. "How can you be sure of that?"

She shrugged. "I stole a bunch of his memories right before I was going to blast him." All three men looked at her. "What? I had people questioning me! Couldn't have that while I was pretending to be the witch. Lucky he was smart enough to figure out who I was. Plus he saved my life."

"You could make a lifelong friend in a nest of vipers, Darlin."

"I do like snakes. They're all scaly and cool." A soft laugh floated up from the cot. All eyes turned back to the bed. She grinned. "Well good morning, Sunshine!"

"Christ Almighty are you always this perky? I'm pretty sure you just got shot. That or Zero hit me harder than I thought." His eyes opened then he squinted against the light.

Cain gave a long suffering sigh, "Yes, she is." She punched him in the leg. He ignored her locking his icy eyes on Whitfield's hazel ones. "Thank you for holding him up for me."

Whitfield sat up slowly shaking his head and studying the Tin Man. "Your welcome…Wait, didn't you kill him?"

"Naw, I wouldn't kill him. He's a keeper." Eli opened his mouth to ask a question but Jeb cut him off.

"You can ask the Princess about her tricky ways later." His blue amused eyes flew to her face. "I for one would love to know why I had to dodge a trail of raining supplies for twenty minutes when I was innocently trying to eat lunch." She smacked a hand on her forehead. "But that's a story for later. Right now, Eli, I need to know everything you can tell me about the Longcoat army that's heading this way. You have thirty minutes so a detailed summary would be best."

Author Note: Ok I know you all wanted to see the ring so show some appreciation! Review for me! I write so much for you! So please, I'm on my knees… Ok not really. I'm sitting in my favorite chair being serenaded by one of my friends. But still… pretty please?


	39. Chapter 39

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Do not own Tin Man. Except as one of you pointed out the DVD. Which totally rocks by the way!

Eli shook his head and doggedly tried to focus on Jeb's question. "What do you need to know?" He pointed to her. "It was her plan. I figured you were going to surround the lake and kill them."

Jeb's lip twitched and Cain chuckled. Eli glanced at her in confusion. She simply smiled enigmatically. "That's not your plan?" Now he looked curious, all traces of exhaustion and pain replaced with his interest. "You are a tricky one. I assumed that you had the advantage of numbers and were going to overwhelm them." She shook her head slowly.

Hazel eyes darted to Jeb. The insignia on his uniform sorta gave away how important he was. "How many fighters do you have?"

"Including you and those two?" He indicated her and his father. "Sixty nine."

"_Sixty nine!_ Are you all completely insane? They outnumber us almost four to one!"

Cain rumbled. "Don't worry about that. My son's an expert on long odds. That and the Princess is right clever when she decides its worth her time to use that thick head of hers."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sitting right here. That means I can, you know, hear you."

Hazel eyes darted around. "Your son? _Who are you people_?"

"Opps! My bad! You'd think two months of Princess lessons would improve my manners. Eli Whitfield, this is Commander Jeb Cain of the Royal Guard, former Resistance Leader and down right sneaky Longcoat exterminator." Jeb smirked obviously proud of his new title. "The furry guy behind me is Raw. The greatest and bravest viewer ever, mess with him and I'll kill you." She heard Raw rumble warmly behind her as Eli blinked. "And the imposing one to my right is my fiancé Wyatt Cain, former Tin Man, personal bodyguard and O.Z. style Cowboy."

Eli opened his mouth then appeared to change his mind and tried again. "You mean you're the ones that helped stop the witch with her?"

She grinned brightly. "Yuppers! So if it makes you feel better not only have we had _way_ worse odds than these we didn't even have a plan last time!" Pfft, he didn't even know how awesome they were.

"I resent that." Jeb interjected. "We had a plan at the eclipse."

Cain snorted. "Yes, it was suicide. Not that we had a choice. This one's better. Much more likely that we'll all survive."

She could tell Eli wanted to know the details but repressed his curiosity once again. "Ok, I want to help but I need to know that plan so I can tell you what you may need to know."

She leaned forward and laid her elbows on her knees meeting his hazel eyes. "Jeb's way into demolition, Eli." His eyes searched hers and cleared as a devil may care smile appeared on his face.

"Remind me not to mess with you, DG. I haven't been in a decent battle in a while." He rubbed his hands together. "The commanders in the front are the ones you need to know about then?" Cain grunted his approval of Eli's quick mind. The next twenty minutes were spent listening to Whitfield detailed personality profiles and the Longcoats past battle tactics. Jeb and Cain would break in with questions whenever they needed clarification as she began thinking up spells that might be useful to counter most of the contingencies that she could foresee happening.

As soon as he was done speaking Jeb headed to the tent flap to get his men ready and she stood moving toward the supplies. She still needed a jacket and she needed to repair Cain's. Right before Jeb exited the tent he turned to her innocently. "DG, I need a copy of your requisition form before you take anything." She scowled at him and he laughed as he left.

Muttering she spotted the bloodied duster and lifted it off the barrel it was drying on. The middle of it was stained and covered in a large stain of her blood. Wow that was really gross and also disturbing. She didn't know she could bleed that much without dying. Suppressing her disgust and delayed fear reaction she let her light flare in her hand and shook the coat hard once. The blood vanished along with all the dirt and wrinkles that had accumulated in the thing over the last few days.

She tossed the coat back to Wyatt as he walked up behind her. "Here ya go. Good as new." She then proceeded to crack open the boxes until she found one full of spare jackets. After some very serious digging she managed to find one that would fit her at the very bottom. As she shoved her arms into it Cain glanced at her lip twitching. "I refuse to fill out a ten page requisition form for this. If anyone asks a Longcoat ate it or something."

"A Longcoat ate it?"

"Or something." He rolled his eyes but declined to comment further. She opened another box in search of gloves. As she looked she called back over her shoulder to the former saboteur. "You ready over there, Eli, or is your head still spinning?"

"I think the healer patched me up." He held out his hand to Raw who took it without hesitation. "Thank you very much for that."

"Welcome." Raw twisted Eli's hand in his gloved one and went still. She knew the signs of a reading well enough by now to know what he was doing. Whitfield raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior, clearly unaware of what the seer was doing, but he made no effort to pull away. Cain was watching him closely as he stood next to her his hand straying toward his holster just in case. Raw eventually released the man and glanced up at Cain nodding sharply. Cain's posture relaxed as she put the lid back on the box she had been rummaging through. She hadn't been worried about the outcome of Raw's test.

Whitfield took in Cain's change in posture immediately. "What did you do?" He didn't sound angry in the slightest only intensely curious.

Cain grunted. "He read you."

Eli turned back to Raw taking to viewer in. "Your one of those then. That's fairly impressive. Your much stronger than any other Viewer I've ever come across."

She stood up tugging at the sleeve of the pilfered jacket. "What do you mean 'one of those'?"

Raw turned to her with a sheepish grin. "Not all viewers can do what Raw can." She tilted her head at him. He felt her confusion and elaborated. "Most of Raw's people can see or heal or feel or hear. Raw can do all these things."

Her eyes widened in amazement darting to Cain who nodded in confirmation. She turned her attention back to Raw. "What can Kalm do?"

Raw rumbled proudly at her. "Kalm hear and see very strongly. Much more strongly than Raw. Even stronger than Lylo could."

"But you can do everything? Are you better at one thing than the others?"

"Raw's magic like DG's." Her eyebrows came together. "Princess can control light and dark yes?" She nodded hesitantly. While she didn't enjoy using dark spells she could do so with almost no effort, unlike Az. After the witch left her sister she could never exactly get those spells to function properly. "Raw can also control all parts. Requires practice like DG's spells but none are stronger. Raw has balance, gives stability."

"That's way cool, Raw." He chuckled softly at her amazement. She grinned ruefully. "I'm not sure I'm ever going to stop being shocked by the things I learn here."

Eli laughed. "That's true. But it makes life interesting."

"Enough of a history lesson for now, Darlin. Time to go. Jeb's men will have the charges set in a few minutes and we need to be ready when the Longcoats show up." She nodded again and allowed him to guide her toward the tent flap with his hand on the small of her back. She slipped the gloves on as Eli pulled the fabric back and stepped past him.

The cold hit her like a slap to the face. She decided that when this was over she was going to live at Finaqua forever. And if it snowed there she was going to have Glitch invent a giant flamethrower to destroy any that dared to fall on the place. No amount of snow was going to defeat her. She would prevail over the white flakes of evil damn it!

She huffed watching as her breath came out in a large misty cloud. "So how far away are we from the lake?"

Cain and Eli both looked at her. "I would ask how you don't know that, seeing as you got yourself here, but after the last three weeks I'm not sure I even want to know."

"You know shimmering isn't an exact science!"

"No" Cain responded dryly. "It's magic."

She stuck her nose in the air ignoring him. She saw Eli fighting back his laughter. She lasted four seconds before she repeated her original question and Whitfield lasted six before his laughter got away from him. Cain grinned and pointed toward the snow covered pine trees in front of them. "Right past those trees. We moved camp as soon as you sent me back. We'll be able to get wounded back faster this way."

As soon as Cain pointed Raw stopped and gave her one last hug. "Will see DG soon. Raw must stay and wait for wounded." She hugged him tightly before Cain gently led her away clapping Raw on the shoulder as he went.

Sensing the tension Eli redirected the conversation. "I hope your trip was less exciting than ours." Eli said dryly.

"Nearly gave my boy a heart attack seeing as Gulch made it back fifteen minutes before I did." She balked looking at him in complete and total alarm. He pressed his hand against her back more firmly and her legs started to move again as they continue toward the tree line. "It's fine, DG. He was still in denial so it didn't take much to convince him what had happened. That Sheriff took a bit more convincing." His eyes flashed with what she could have sworn was a mixture of rage and amusement before it disappeared. There was a story there no doubt about it. "It helped that Raw could show everyone what you had planned for em."

She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. They walked into the large pines weaving their way through the thick branches as snow fell from above them in thick clumps. She raised her arms in a desperate attempt to stop it from falling down the back of her collar. There weren't nearly as many trees as she'd thought there had been. They were simply so thick and so close together that you couldn't see between them.

They emerged from beneath the pines a minute later and onto a steep rocky outcropping. The view was breathtaking, she knew the lake she had selected was nestled in a valley between two of the mountains from the map but she had no idea it would be so pretty. The tree line ran down steeply onto the banks of the huge circular lake. From their vantage point she could see the place where the Longcoats would enter the valley and march out onto the frozen lake.

The Tin Man grabbed her shoulder to stop her from walking out onto the ledge. "Stay undercover, Sweetheart. You don't need to be spotted by any scouts when you're supposed to be at the Ice Palace." Fine he had a point.

Eli was surveying the landscape with a less than artistic eye. "How long until the Guard gets out here?"

Cain's lip twitched. "They already are."

Eli looked at him sharply then scanned the area again more closely. Cain just shook his head. "You won't see them. You're good at what you do, Whitfield, I'll give you that. But these men grew up out in the woods and in rebel camps. They know how to stay hidden in the trees the way you know how to stay hidden in a crowd. Jeb made sure to hand pick the men under his command, they won't make the mistake of getting caught out in the open."

"Like finding a needle in a haystack, Eli." Hazel eyes darted to her momentarily lip quirking up at the side. She leaned into Cain's side assessing the landscape. "Where are we supposed to be when the fun starts?"

"Down a bit farther and to the East. We need to stay well back from the charges though." He took a step back into the tree line and she followed him. "Once they go off all hell is going to break loose." She figured that was an understatement.

They picked their way carefully down the side of the steep icy incline. She ended up slipping down the last fifteen feet when her feet lost purchase. Cain made a mad grab for her but missed and she skidded to an ungraceful halt on her butt next to a tree trunk facing the opposite direction she had started in. She sat trying to get her bearings then burst into laughter. She clapped her hand over her mouth to muffle the noise and felt the clink of metal under her glove against her lips.

Her laughter died abruptly as the Tin Man helped her to her feet. Her eyes locked with his for what felt like an eternity and she knew without a doubt that he was thinking the exact same thing she was. They both needed to live through this. He let himself hold her ring-clad hand as Eli picked his way down behind them his eyes never leaving hers. His thumb caressed her knuckles as they made their silent promise to each other.

Then Eli was next to them and Cain turned away still holding her hand and they continued on their way. Ten minutes of careful walking later and they were near the edge of the lake. They stood silently in the shadows of the large trees and waited. Cain squeezed her hand and she pressed herself into his side. Bending slightly he pressed a kiss to the top of her head ignoring Eli's presence.

She was about to whisper something to him when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She went stiff in his arms her head turning to hone in on it. The Tin Man raised his head and immediately saw what she was looking at. He growled low in his throat and alerted Eli to the danger.

Across the lake the Longcoats had arrived in force. They were marching into the valley completely unaware of what was about to befall them. She rolled her shoulders and stepped away from Cain to give herself room to cast spells. It was time to end this.

Author Note: Ok sorry for the update time. My life has been crazy busy like you wouldn't believe. Leave me a review! Next chapter will be a great big ol' fight scene! You know how I love to write those!


	40. Chapter 40

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

To say she was on edge as she waited for the last of the Longcoats to march onto the lake was the understatement of the century. Patience was so not a virtue of hers but she knew that if she gave herself away they would all be royally screwed. Darting a glance to her right revealed that her ever unruffled Tin Man might have been picking up some of her bad habits. He had his six-shooter out of its holster and was slowly shifting his weight back and forth. Eli was holding his own gun in one hand and a long knife in the other.

As soon as they saw the end of the line of marching men walk through the pass Cain's lip twitched grimly. "Here it comes. Brace yourselves."

Knowing what was going to happen, seeing as she planned it, and experiencing it were two totally separate things. Not three seconds after the Tin Man's warning a deafening blast resounded across the valley followed closely by a huge wall of fire, ice and earth as the pass behind the Longcoats was demolished. The shockwave reverberated across the long lake and shook the ground nearly knocking her off her feet. The Longcoats didn't fair nearly as well.

Because once the fire, ice and dirt went up, well, it had to come down. Even the O.Z. had gravity. It was a tidal wave of destruction. Thanks to some very well placed charges and what she had to assume was much better mathematical and physics equations than she could ever hope to manage the remains of the pass went crashing down over the backs of what was left of the witch's army. Screams of terror and surprise went up as the soldiers came to the realization that they had blundered to their deaths.

The organized ranks of soldiers broke immediately. Those men that managed to escape the rubble hurled themselves over the ice toward the hidden Royal Guard. Eli's legs bunched beneath him and he was moving before she had time to process it. Cain's hand flashed out quick as lightning and hauled him back. "Wait! It's not done yet!" Eli flashed him a look of shock but didn't move any farther. She spread her legs farther apart and waited with baited breath.

Her body felt like a stretched out rubber band. One second more and she was going to snap forward. She waited as the first of the Longcoats passed the second invisible line. She told herself to breath and wait. Then she made herself count slowly to ten knowing it wouldn't be long now before she could_ do_ something. She hit eight and the second line of charges went off and she staggered backward from the force of the blast. It was much closer to them than the first one had been.

The ice beneath the Longcoats feet splintered and cracked as the explosives Jeb's men had set did exactly what she had intended them to do. The frozen lake was effectively cut down the middle taking thirty or more soldiers down into the freezing water as the ice below their feet exploded upward. More screams rose up as the men were dragged below the surface by the weight of their packs and huge ice chunks rained back down on them.

As soon as the sound of cracking ice ceased she surged forward Cain next to her. Out of her peripheral vision she could see the rest of the Guard sprinting out of the forest forming a semicircle around the surviving Longcoats. The explosives had done their job. There were only about eighty Longcoats left to worry about and now they only had two options. They could fight or run into the water. As she ran toward them, her light flaring, she supposed there was a third option. She could throw them in the water.

The survivors came to the conclusion that they weren't going to be survivors for very long. They saw the former Resistance men running toward them and the shit hit the fan. The Longcoat commanders that were left were barking out orders as fast as possible and bullets started to fly. She slammed up a shield between the Guard and the Longcoats hoping it would deflect at least some of the projectiles. She didn't have time to see if it worked because she was suddenly face to face with the men she had ordered into the trap and boy were they ticked off when they figured out she wasn't on their side.

One of the commanders that had been at her war meeting pointed at her and the two men beside her. They'd all been recognized from her lovely little party at the palace. "We've been tricked!" No freaking duh. Her hands flared. "Kill her!" Cause she'd never heard that before. But before she could blast him Cain took care of him for her. He was down with a bullet through his head before he could give any more orders. Unfortunately the damage had already been done.

Heads started turning toward her. Eli raised his gun shooting at every Longcoat in range. "Shit! I think it's time to back up!"

"Uhh, don't think so!" She was not going to retreat. Not now, not after all the work it took to get all these people here!

Cain shot a man that was shooting at her. "Then you best get to usin your magic, DG!" Good God! These people were freaking bossy!

"And you call me impatient!" She was letting her light build for a reason. It would work way better if she could hit a bunch of them at once then the stragglers. She raised her voice so she was shouting. "Hey! Longcoat morons that decided to walk into my trap! Princess of Light right here and ready to take all comers!" Well that definitely got their attention. If the soldiers weren't going after her before they sure were now.

Cain's head reared back and he grabbed her upper arm. "Oh, by Ozma's left Slipper, DG!" He began to haul her backward as he shot at the ten men that had decided she was indeed worth their time. Eli was cursing like a sailor as she wrenched her arm free from the Tin Man's death grip and let loose a blast of energy into the group of men.

The force of the spell blasted the Longcoats backward killing them and she sucked in a huge breath. That took so much energy and the battle wasn't close to over. All around them men were fighting and falling and the noise was deafening not to mention the fact that her ears were still ringing from the two earlier blasts. Cain had flipped his gun open and was quickly reloading while they had a few moments. Her spell combined with the Tin Man's bullets had cleared the nearest men away from them and her eyes were scanning the lake for her next target. Eli suddenly shot off into the nearest fray with a loud shout in order to help a few of the outnumbered Royal Guard as she sent a bolt of lightning in another direction sending another Longcoat flying into the water.

A second later she wished that he hadn't or that she had been paying closer attention to her surroundings. Which would seem like a good thing to do considering they were in the middle of a battle but there was so much going on that somehow she and Cain missed the four Longcoats that had snuck up behind them. Before she knew what was happening she had been tackled to the hard ice by a large body. Her hands flew out trying to stop her fall but only succeeded in getting badly scrapped on the hard uneven surface. She felt all the air forced out of her lungs and heard Cain shout in rage at the same time she heard another loud thump close by.

Her head tilted to the side and she began to thrash like mad as she tried to buck whoever was on top of her off. She let out a blast of magic but she didn't hit her target. The spell ricocheted off the ice and went sideways somewhere. She felt hands wrap around her neck and began to claw at the fingers in desperation when air stopped entering her lungs. Then she felt herself lifted off the ice by the hands and thrust her elbow backwards toward the body at her back. She was suddenly dropped unceremoniously to the ground and gasped twisting to her back with her hands in the defensive position the way Cain had showed her except she added in her magic.

It proved to be unnecessary as Cain had the soldier by the collar with the scariest look in his icy eyes she had ever seen. She tried to scramble to her feet as Cain hurled the man to the ground his gun nowhere to be seen. She was almost up when she was slammed back to the ground from the side again. This time she and her knew attacker went slipping away across the slick surface. She cursed loudly as she was forced away from Cain who was now weaponless and in a fistfight with three men and moving ever closer to the edge of the ice.

The man that attacked her should have knocked her out while he could because she didn't give him a second chance. She fisted her hand punched the man in the face using her magic to add power to the hit. She heard his nose break and he rolled off of her. She scrambled to her feet and hit him with a lightning bolt. She turned back to find Wyatt catching a glimpse of him fighting two of the men before her path was blocked by another Longcoat. She let out a shriek of pure frustration as the soldier raised his gun at her.

She hit the man with her magic before he could blink and lunged toward her Tin Man as he was jumped from behind by one of the remaining men. The other Longcoat that was still standing had somehow gotten a hold of Cain's pistol and was aiming it at his head. She panicked knowing she wasn't going to make it in time. "Cain! No!" Her magic flared in her hands as she made a ditch attempt to help, her stomach dropping, as time seemed to stand still.

Before she could release her spell or the soldier could pull the trigger the water beside them exploded outward. All the men were drenched and if she hadn't been so freaked out that Cain was about to die she would have frozen at the sight of what was rising out of the water as the other men around her were. For a moment she could have sworn the battle all around her stopped and she was the only one moving. Even Cain had lost interest in the man holding him and the soldier that had his own gun aimed at his temple as his neck tilted up at an unnatural angel.

Towering over them out of the water was a snow-white sand skimmer. The dragon was at least twice as big as the one that had jumped out at her a week ago and looked ready for a fight. The sapphire scaly mane around its neck was flared fully out and it had its razor sharp teeth bared. Then it let out a ear piercing screech and dove down onto the ice its jaws snapping around the head of the man that was holding Cain's gun as its tail slashed through the air hitting the man that was holding the Tin Man to the ground. He went soaring across the ground and hit the ice over a dozen feet away with a crash.

The giant snake undulated and twisted its coiling body around the man he had by the head. With one fast snap it decapitated the man and spat the head out and into the closest group of Longcoats who let out shouts of horror. Cain lunged for his gun and his hand wrapped around the handle as the skimmer let the now headless body fall to the ground and its tail missed Cain's head by an inch as it took off after more leather clad soldiers, the force of its departure knocking the fedora off Wyatt's head.

She skidded to her knees next to Cain grabbing his arm and hauling him up as she cast a worried look around them. "Get up! This isn't nap time!"

Cain ignored this observation as he staggered upright. "Where the hell did that thing come from?"

"I found it's best not to question things while fighting for my life!" She shouted as a Longcoat that had somehow managed to dodge the pointy teeth of death thundered toward them. Cain raised his reacquired gun and shot him as soon as he was close enough. The sand skimmers roars and shrieks followed by the shouts of those it was rending in small pieces was not helping to bring the noise level down any.

At least the fight was turning drastically in their favor. With the unexpected help of the skimmer the remaining Longcoats were in a full out rout in minutes. She was blasting the enemy soldiers with what magic she had left as Cain shoved her behind him so he could watch one way while she watched the other. Apparently he didn't want to get snuck up on again. It was a good strategy and was super effective. Jeb's men soon had the remaining fifteen or so Longcoats completely surrounded with the water at their backs and a blood smeared sand skimmer leering down at them.

Jeb started barking out orders to them. "Drop your weapons and surrender! Your under arrest by order of the Queen and Consort!"

One particularly stupid one raised his gun and pointed at Jeb. Cain shot him in the chest and he fell lifeless to the ground. "Anybody else wanna keep fightin?" Cain growled. Weapons were dropped like leaves from trees in the fall. She smiled tiredly as Royal Guard moved in and began tying up the prisoners.

Good, the fight was over. Now all they had to do was collect the wounded and figure out where in the hell the white dragon had come from. Oh and that whole telling her parents she was engaged thing. She sighed and started toward the nearest fallen man searching for a pulse. The day wasn't over yet, they still had to get back to camp and to Raw.

Author Note: Ok first off sorry for the wait. I had one last big paper to finish and was so tired yesterday I just didn't want to write. I wasn't going to give you a sucky chapter so I figured you wouldn't mind waiting one more day. Having said that I would love some reviews. They really do make my day and make me write better. For those of you who post you know what I mean. So show me a little love and I'll try to have the next chappy up soon.


	41. Chapter 41

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Tin Man wanted: Must be blond, stoic, and able to shoot.

Three hours later and she found herself in the hospital tent with Raw and the medic that traveled with Jeb's command bandaging the wounded. She felt she should get an honorary first aid diploma or something. She'd stopped counting how many arms and fingers she'd wrapped forty-five minutes ago. Hell, she was so tired she'd stopped making jokes thirty minutes after they got back.

Her magic was so depleted she doubted she could so much as light a candle at this point. It was really playing havoc on the rest of her body. Or maybe it was the adrenaline crash. Or the massive amount of calories she'd burned in the fight and helping the wounded get back to camp. At any rate she knew she was dangerously close to her breaking point. She was teetering on the edge actually, but the wounded weren't all taken care of yet, so she really couldn't sit down.

She raised her head after securing another man's arm and smiled at him weakly before standing and moving to her last patient. At least she was getting close to the end. She actually started out with twice as many patients as Raw and the medic, but hers were a lot less bloody and mangled than theirs. She sighed as she peeled a bloody cloth carefully from the last man's shoulder. She eyed the red heads wound critically. "Dude. You've been shot. You're in the wrong line."

The young soldier gave her a strained laugh. "Henry and the Viewer are busy. I figured you could at least stop the bleeding until they could get to me." She raised an eyebrow assuming that Henry was the medic's first name. She made a soft noise in the back of her throat but nodded in agreement. It would take them at least another hour to get to him and there was no point in him loosing more blood than necessary while he waited. She tugged on his good arm and had him sit on the edge of a free cot. Most of the soldiers she had looked at had simply left once she was done with them.

She set bandages and antiseptic next to them as he shrugged his shirt off and she set the bloody cloth next to them before pressing a clean one to the bullet hole when it started to bleed sluggishly again. She raised an eyebrow when her tired mind piped up an interesting observation to her. "The bullet's still in your shoulder isn't it?" He grimaced but didn't deny it. That was a problem. She considered it carefully before she did anything. "Alright. Can you hold still for three seconds while I get it out? I can't stitch you up or anything but it'll feel better if you let me get rid of the slug."

He nodded and she focused on the last of her magic knowing this was literally all she had left in her for a while. She raised her hand so her palm was in front of his shoulder and smiled into his face. "If it makes you feel any better your friends are going to be so jealous when you tell them how you got this thing out of you." He opened his mouth to ask her what she was talking about but she acted while he was distracted. She yanked on the bullet with her light and it flew out of the muscle and into her hand. He let out a shout of pain and surprise that tore through the mostly quiet tent.

Heads turned in their direction but she ignored them snatching up the antiseptic and smearing it over the wound. "Sorry! At least it was fast right?" She pressed a bandage against him to stop the renewed bleeding and then secured it. He was swaying dangerously by the time she was done and his already pale face had lost most of its color. She helped him lay down and patted his good arm. "Try to sleep. I'll let Raw and Henry know you need to be looked at."

She stood up and started to sway herself. Not good, really not good. She staggered over to where Raw was as the tent began to spin. The seer looked up at her from his place next to an unconscious man who appeared to have been shot in the chest. "Raw, the guy over there needs stitches. He got shot in the shoulder. I got out the bullet but I don't know how to do that." She tilted her body so that the floor was level under her again; it really wasn't playing fair. "I'm done with my line. Do you need anything else?"

Raw opened his mouth but a voice behind her cut him off. "Doesn't matter, Princess. You're done for today." She turned her head to glare at Jeb.

"I'm not under your command, Jeb. You don't get to tell me what to do." Ok she was tired and grumpy. She didn't mean to sound bitchy, honest. It just happened to come out that way. Fortunately she didn't think Jeb took offence since her legs collapsed out from under her as she spun around to face him.

He caught her around the waist before she hit the ground and chuckled. "Doesn't look like I have to. Your bodies taking care of that for me." She muttered obscenities at him under her breath as he hauled her upright so she was leaning against his side. "Such language from the Princess of Light. That can't be proper."

"You can take your propriety and shove it straight up you're a-"

"Definitely time to get you back to Dad." He grinned over at her. She hated him for having the energy to do so. He managed to shove the tent flap open and lead her across the snowy ground. It was dark outside but the moon was full and it was easy to see. He turned them toward what she assumed was the tent she had woken up in earlier in the day. Cain had disappeared shortly after they got back with Jeb. She figured it had something to do with the prisoners and hadn't had time to think about it once the mad rush in the med tent had started.

She was starting to feel even dizzier and leaned more heavily against Jeb as they walked. It made her feel guilty about the cursing. "Sorry, Jeb. I have a tendency to loose control of my inner monolog when I'm exhausted."

He laughed out loud at that. "It's fine, DG. I promise you'll get to see my nasty streak soon enough, then we'll be even."

"Deal." She was starting to get spacey. She thought she might regret that in the morning. "Do you need to stay out here now that we killed the Longcoats?"

She stumbled as she asked that and Jeb caught her. "Apparently you can only focus on one thing at a time as well. And my orders from the Queen were to return to Central City once we were done here. Why?"

"Once I sleep I can make a travel storm. Get us there tomorrow." Jeb grunted in approval as they reached the front of the tent.

"Princess delivery service!" The flap to the smaller tent was tugged open almost immediately and Cain only had one foot out before Jeb dumped her on him. She let out a yelp as she tumbled forward into his arms. Cain grunted and they both fell backward through the fabric door. "I now understand why you call her the stubbornest damn woman that ever lived."

"What!" She squawked indignantly from her sprawled position over Cain's chest and legs. "Cain! You haven't met every woman that's ever lived! That is almost certainly untrue!"

Cain sighed but whether it was from the impact, Jeb's comment, or her scolding she didn't know. "Good night, Son." He said with exasperation. Jeb laughed with a kind of evil glee and wandered off into the night. She tried to crawl off the Tin Man and farther into the tent but was having serious problems getting her brain to connect to her legs. Cain picked her up and set her farther inside before he turned around to close the tent flap. She lay silently on her stomach vaguely impressed with how strong he was and wondering if she could make it to the bedroll or if she should simply wait for him to move her.

He made the choice for her lifting her limp body up and placing her gently back down on the mat before he tugged her boots off. She mumbled her thanks as her eyes drifted closed. She felt him lay down behind her and suddenly a blanket was over them both and his arm pulled her against him. "Are you alright, Sweetheart?"

"Used all my magic. I'm drained." He kissed the back of her head as she drifted off with a sigh. Her eyes fluttered open she didn't know how much later but she was warm and felt rested. She yawned and stretched out her back bumping against Cain's front. He stirred behind her and his arm instinctively pulled her closer to him as he woke up.

"Time is it?" He muttered groggily into her hair.

She glanced around the tent. "Don't know but there's light outside."

He muttered his understanding and the hand that was on her waist snuck beneath her shirt. She muffled a groan of appreciation as he traced the underside of her breast lightly. Wriggling her hips backward she was very aware she hadn't been with Wyatt in well over a week. She flipped over quickly sealing her lips against his as she tangled her fingers in his short hair. He nipped her lips as he rolled her over on her back and propped himself up over her on one arm.

She pressed her hips up against his as she wrapped her legs around his hips. God she wanted him. And from the feel of things he wanted her just as badly. He shoved her down into the bedroll as his lips trailed down her neck and his hand continued to tease her breast. She began to pant quietly and pressing her hand between them managed to get it under his pants and take hold of him. He gasped into her collarbone and pressed against her hand firmly.

Suddenly she froze the fingers she still had tangled in Wyatt's hair tugging sharply to get his attention. He growled clearly not getting the hint but she could hear footsteps getting closer to the tent. She tugged his head up to her face sharply and his eyes reflected his frustrated confusion when her other hand stopped moving. "Someone's outside."

His head went up sharply and he yanked his hand out from under her shirt. He was reaching for his gun and she was pulling her hand away from him when they heard Eli call to them from just beyond the fabric of the tent. "DG, if you're up and ready Jeb wants to leave in an hour." Apparently Jeb had learned his lesson when it came to early morning wake up calls.

She grinned up at Cain who immediately got a mostly concerned partially amused look in his eye. She lowered her voice so it sounded like the spy had woken her up. "Alright…Gimme a minute. Why don't they have coffee here again?" She heard Eli snort and move away.

She waited unmoving for a few seconds while he put some distance between the tent and wherever he was going. Cain sighed and started to get off of her. She yanked his head back down and used her legs to knock him back on top of her. She kissed his cheek and moved her hand back to where it had been before they had been interrupted. "I'm not done with you yet."

She felt him shudder in response to her husky tone even as he tried to disentangle her hand from his hair. "Darlin, no time." She squeezed him and he muffled a groan. Admittedly she would have to wait but that didn't mean they both needed to suffer.

"Plenty of time for me to make you see stars, Tin Man." She locked her eyes with his and pressed her mouth back to his to stop him from making noise. She smiled against him as his eyes slammed shut and she teased him toward release. She did her best to swallow the groans that were escaping him and began to move her hand faster when she felt his body straining against her. She gave him one last squeeze and bucked her hips against him hard as she bit his bottom lip. He shuddered and let go moaning quietly against her as his body collapsed over her. She slowly withdrew her hand from his pants as his head fell to her neck.

She let him catch his breath as she magicked the mess away. "Ok, now you can get up." He began to laugh against her skin kissing her as he shoved himself up on his elbows.

His blue eyes were sparkling. "You're going to pay for that later, DG."

She winked at him. "Hopefully during that week you're going to keep me naked. Come on Tin Man, time to get to Central City."

He shook his head but got off her and put his boots and holster on as she shrugged into her jacket. Once they were dressed she helped him pack up the bedding and then tear down the tent. They weren't the only ones breaking camp. All around them tents were being collapsed and rolled up and supplies were being piled in an organized heap in the center of the camp.

The only tent that wasn't being torn down at the moment was the medical tent. She continued to scan the rapidly diminishing camp and spotted the remaining Longcoats and to her surprise the white sand skimmer who was regarding Raw gravely. It was stretched out across the ground next to the tied up prisoners standing guard. Every now and then its tail would twitch at the end the same way a cats would when it was watching a mouse.

She nudged Cain's shoulder. "Come on let's find out the skimmer's story." The Tin Man's head came up and he nodded grabbing his pack. They walked toward the viewer and their new very large ally. Navy blue cat eyes left their inspection of the seer and watched them intently. They paused next to Raw and of the trussed up Longcoats sneered at her as he cursed. Cain never got the chance to threaten the man.

Moving fast and fluidly the skimmer was in front of the offender jaw snapping and roaring. All activity in the camp stopped immediately as the dragon scared the living hell out of the bound men. The idiot that had insulted her was on his back in the snow trying to escape the dragon's intense rage. The other Longcoats were straining against the ropes in an effort to avoid the navy eyes. Then abruptly the skimmer reared back up and slid away from the cowering man. It resettled itself in front of her and lowered its head in the same kind of respectful bow that the other sand skimmer had.

She didn't know whether to laugh or scream in fear. She settled on tilting her head in return. "Thank you for yesterday. You saved my mate and many of my people. Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

The dragon's mane flashed out before it flattened back against its neck. It began to murmur to her. The noises that were coming from this skimmer were much lower and more resonant than the smaller one they had come across. When it paused she turned to Raw. "Says you helped daughter. Wants nothing. She simply showing her gratitude and loyalty to House of Gale."

She grinned. Don't mess with grandma. She's a lean, mean, fighting machine. "I appreciate that. We're heading to Central City. You're welcome to come. Or I can drop you off somewhere if you'd like."

The dragon began to murmur again. Raw rumbled and then turned back to her. "Says she will go to Finaqua if DG says alright. Daughter's first hatching. Might need help."

She nodded in agreement. "Of course." Then she grinned up at the white reptilian face. "Just don't eat anybody." The dragon made a funny burbling noise before it bowed once more and turned toward the forest. She disappeared into the trees and she would put money on the fact that she was headed toward the nearest river.

Watching the dragon vanish she said exactly what she was thinking. "My life is so weird."

Raw snorted and Cain shook his head. "Let's just get back to the city, DG."

"And away from the snow? I'm so in. Where's Jeb?"

"Behind you." She jumped three feet in the air when she heard him whisper in his ear.

"You suck!"

Jeb jumped back when she swung half-heartedly at him. "Can you call us up a travel storm?"

"Yup. All ready?"

He nodded and she looked around the clearing spotting all the Royal Guard milling about the supplies. She raised her voice before she started the spell. "Everyone get ready! This is going to be loud! Hold on to anything that might blow away and be prepared for a rough landing! Next stop Central City!"

She focused her magic on the large field that overlooked the shinning city on the hill. The wind picked up instantaneously and snow began to fly. A few seconds later and the travel storm touched down on the far side of the clearing. She made the vortex as wide as possible and then yanked it toward them all. It swept through the campsite picking up the soldiers, supplies, and the Longcoats before she grabbed Raw's furry hand and shoved Cain and Jeb forward with her shoulder.

Seconds later and the wind had set them all down, less then gently, on the grassy field in front of Central City. She grinned. She was really getting good at this travel storm business.

Author Note: I think we all know what happens next. Parent time! Leave me one!


	42. Chapter 42

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

She had to admit she was impressed with how organized Jeb's men were. Once the travel storm sat them down they quickly divided up the supplies, surrounded the Longcoats and were ready to march in less than ten minutes. Not that they had to march far mind you. She'd take credit for that. But as they walked closer and closer to the city gates her stomach kept tying in tighter and tighter knots. She had a feeling the next hour or so was going to be…uncomfortable.

Not only was she going to tell her parents she was engaged, which she really wasn't at all ashamed of, she was going to have to talk to them about the whole mirror episode. When Ahamo had mentioned the trust factor he hadn't been imagining things. She found herself less inclined to share things with her actual parents than nearly anyone else she had met in the Outer Zone. She thought about that as they entered the city and Cain pushed her discreetly to the middle of the group so she wouldn't be noticed.

He was so busy watching the citizens for signs of recognition and threat toward her that he failed to notice her mounting anxiety. His sharp blue eyes were scanning the interested citizens and she made sure she was squeezed between Raw and a particularly tall man. She didn't want any more trouble today, particularly from her own people. She was well aware that she wasn't exactly held up as a hero in everyone's opinion. There were still a number of people that weren't Longcoats that were still loyal to the witch's cause. A lot of money and property had been lost when she'd put her mother back on the throne. Walking openly in the streets of Central City was a dangerous thing for her to do.

Fortunately she went unnoticed, Raw's furry body hiding her features, as they walked quickly toward the palace compound. They stopped in front of the gates and Jeb separated from the group in order to talk to the men standing guard. The gates were opened almost immediately and their merry little party was ushered in. The Tin Man took her by the arm and led her out of the Royal Guard toward a side entrance. She glanced at him confused. She had no memory of being in this palace before and had no clue where he was taking her.

"Where are we going?"

"To find your parents. It'll be easier to get to them if we go this way."

"How do-"

"The Mystic Man was popular with the court before the witch took over. I figure I know every way in and out of this place."

She grinned up at him impishly. "So you can teach me to sneak out? You're so bad, Tin Man."

He rolled his eyes. "You're not sneaking anywhere without me so you can just get that idea out of your pretty little head right now."

She pressed against his side and batted her eyes. "Awwww! You think I'm pretty!"

He looked down at her his lip twitching despite his best efforts to keep his face in a stern mask. "You can't go five minutes without harassing me can you?"

"Hey, I just walked placidly and silently through the middle of Central City so as not to give you a heart attack. That took at least twenty minutes. Give me a break."

He sighed as they went up a set of stairs and he guided her to the left after he asked a palace worker where her family was. They found her parents, Az, and Glitch finishing up breakfast in what she assumed was either a salon or a small library. They didn't notice when they opened the door and walked in. She rolled her eyes as Glitch started to juggle some Papay fruit and her sister started to laugh in delight. What a goofball.

Letting her light flare she snatched two pieces of flying produce out of the air and tugged them to her. Glitch let out a startled shout as she caught one in each hand. He twisted in his seat as she tossed one yellow fruit to the Tin Man and bit into the second. A smile lit up her sister's face as she jumped out of her chair and hurtled across the room toward her. She knew what was going to happen and put her hands out as she let out a warning around the mouthful of pulpy goodness. "Az, wait a second-"

Slam! Her sister hit with the force of a Mac truck bent on destruction. They both went toppling backward onto the floor her sister's arms latched firmly around her neck. All the air was forced from her lungs and she heard several people laughing. "Missed you too sis." She wheezed out. "Now could you maybe get off me so I could breath again."

Az let go of her neck and sat up with a sheepish smile. "Uhhh, sorry, Deeg. I got excited." She thought that was rather apparent.

Above them the Tin Man chuckled and extended his hand to her sister. "I wouldn't worry, Princess. Your sister has a hard head. Besides it was only a matter of time before she fell over."

She glared at him as she got to her feet. "Thank you for that vote of confidence."

By this point everyone was standing up. And she found herself swept into an enthusiastic Glitch hug as he twirled her around. That was the end of the line for her breakfast; it went soaring across the room to land conveniently on the table. She'd miss it. It had tasted good. "Doll! You managed to make it back alive!"

He set her down and she staggered feeling dizzy. "Uh, yeah, I think so. Blame the Tin Man." Ahamo grabbed her arm and held her still as the world settled down around her. She noticed he didn't hug her and this set her on edge. He hadn't seen her in over three weeks. It wasn't like her father to not show open affection. She looked up at his face and her smile fell. She saw worry and anger in his eyes. Both emotions were directed at her. She sighed internally.

His eyes broke away from hers as he addressed the Tin Man. "Thank you, Mister Cain. Could you all give us a few minutes alone with DG please?"

Cain's eyebrow shot up and his eyes went to her. He was not interested in leaving her alone even if the consort of the realm had asked him to do so. She nodded imperceptibly to him as Az took a step toward her. "Daddy, I told you she'd be fine."

"Enough, Azkadilla!" Her mother said coolly from her place next to the table. She bristled at the tone she took with her sister. Az visibly wilted under her mother's hard stare as her temper kicked up a notch. Her protective instincts went into overdrive. She stepped out of her father's grasp eyes flashing. She heard Cain make a noise in the back of his throat and take a step toward her. He recognized the signs of her impending outburst and looked as if he wanted to head it off at the pass. Glitch stopped him grasping his arm firmly and leading him back toward the door.

She let her weight settle back on one foot and heard Cain groan. He knew it was to late to stop this now. It had been building too long. He took her sisters elbow not even attempting to fight Glitch. "Come on, Princess. Why don't you tell me what you and Zipperhead have been up to."

As the door shut behind them she heard the advisor protest, she thought he was trying to distract Az. Good for him. "Cain! The zipper has been removed!"

As soon as the door shut she turned to her mother. "Don't talk to Az like that again." Her voice was even and clipped. She was pissed off. No one was going to make Az feel bad about herself for something that she had nothing to do with, not even her mother.

Her mother's eyes flashed. "You will not tell me how to address my daughter, DG."

She snorted at her mother's attempt to put her in her place. "Would you rather throw her into depression? Ozma knows you haven't helped her stay out of it since the witch left her."

Her father snapped at her. "Don't assume to know what's been happening since you left. Azkadilla is perfectly fine, DG. What I would like to know is where you have been for the last week and why you felt it was unnecessary to share that information with us!"

"Yes, I would assume her mental well being is due in large part to Glitch. And I thought it was rather clear that I was taking care of the Longcoat infestation we had."

Her mother's eyes flashed. "What do you mean 'taking care of it'?" She thought being double-teamed was unfair. She could play dirty too. They really should have gone a different way when trying to question her.

She shrugged unconcerned. "They're dead. Except for the fourteen Jeb has in custody downstairs." They were so not getting any details.

Her parents were silent. She wasn't about to help them along so she simply waited. Ahamo broke the silence. "There were over two hundred of them and all but fourteen are dead?"

Her eyes flashed at his disbelieving tone. "You know, I'm getting tired of this! I told you I had a plan! I told you I would stop them! And I did! If you want a report then go find one of your soldiers!" Any more of this and she was going to blow something up. "Are we done here?"

Ahamo exploded. "No we are not done here! What is the matter with you! You aren't acting like DG anymore!"

This statement threw her. "What?" Then what he said hit her. She growled looking at him with regret and irritation. "Ahamo, you barely know me. How could you possible know what I act like?"

That shocked him out of his anger. Hurt filled his eyes and her mother moved toward her. She didn't let her get close enough to be touched. She suddenly felt like she was back on the lake and fighting for her life. Except this time she was losing. "That's not true, DG." Ahamo said. She could hear an edge of pleading in his voice. "I was with you while you searched for the emerald. We've been living together for two months. I think Lavender and I know you well enough by now."

She threw her hands in the air. "When we were searching for the emerald I hadn't slept in three days. I thought you were some crazy bounty hunter. You'd taken me away from the only people I'd trusted in the O.Z., I'd just found out I set the witch free and that my parents were programmed to care for me. I was not acting like myself. Since then I've been locked in a library with a tutor that secretly hated me, been trying to keep Az from going over the deep end, been attacked by killer dreams, and had my soul ripped out. Trust me, none of that has made me act normally."

Her mother was looking at her oddly all of a sudden her violet eyes homing in on her hand. "What's on your finger, My Angel?"

She stopped talking immediately. This was not how she wanted to tell them. True, she had wanted to be alone, hadn't wanted Cain to see their reactions. But she hadn't wanted to be ranting at them either. She put her hands together and twisted her ring around her finger in agitation. She thought it might be best to do this quickly, like tearing off a Band-Aid. "It's an engagement ring."

Ahamo went completely still and her mother pressed her lips together. The Queens voice lost its cool. "Why are you wearing an engagement ring?"

She thought that was fairly obvious but she'd play along. "Because I'm getting married."

Her mother continued to press her. "And who do you think you're getting married to?"

Her eyes narrowed at the wording of that question. "I'm getting married to Wyatt Cain." She said this with a hint of pride in her voice.

Ahamo began to splutter incoherently. She suppressed a smile. That was just plain funny. However her humor was short lived when her mother spoke again. "DG, you can't marry the Tin Man." She felt her temper bubbling up again. "I'm sorry but he simply isn't good enough for you and won't be accepted by the people of the realm."

She lost it. Her magic slipped out of her control. Every piece of glass in the room shattered with explosive force. Ahamo threw himself over her mother as glass flew everywhere. As soon as the glass stopped flying her parents looked at her with alarm. Her light was pulsing erratically. "How dare you!"

Her father jaw was clenched. "DG! What do you-"

She snarled. "How dare you assume to tell me what I can and cannot do! How dare you insult the man that not only helped stop the witch and save your lives but the lives of both your daughters!" She was shouting now and wasn't about to stop. "He's not good enough for me? I'm damn lucky he loves me! Fuck the people! You married a goddamned carnie! If you even think about trying to stop us from getting married I swear by all that is holy that I will go back to the Otherside with him and never come back!"

She stormed past them the door flying open in response to her magic. She didn't even pause as she regained enough control to slam the doors shut behind her. She heard Ahamo call to her but completely ignored him. Her head snapped left and right. She had no idea which way everyone had gone. She felt tears pricking at her eyes and picked left at random.

She figured she picked the wrong direction ten minutes later. She was completely lost. She let out a tearful huff and spotting another staircase trotted up it finding herself in yet another hallway. She growled and plopped down on the nearest bench. She stared across the narrow hallway blankly. That had _really_ not gone well.

She didn't know how long she sat there before Glitch found her. Her eyes were closed when she heard someone moving tentatively in front of her. She didn't move but her magic was ready to lash out. "What are you doing up here, Cupcake?"

She cracked one eye open. "I got lost." Her voice cracked as she throat constricted. Tears were still fighting to escape her but she refused to let them win, it was a matter of principal, she was not one of those girls. Glitch's eyes went over her worriedly. His hand brushed some of her loose hair behind her ear. She sniffed. "I lost my temper again."

"Are you going to tell me about it or should I use my super brain to guess what happened?" She shifted on the bench. Glitch gave her a goofy grin. "You got angry because they insulted your attire?" She raised an eyebrow. "They told you should work on your rhythm?" She felt her lip twitch. "No? Well then that only leaves your inability to get along with the ankle biters." She managed a small smile. Then she held up her hand so he could see the ring.

Glitch sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed her hand pulling it to his face so he could see the ring properly. He ran one of his long fingers over it as he inspected it. "He gave you a water stone?" His voice had lost its Glitchiness. Ambrose had come out and for a moment she forgot that she was upset when she heard the curiosity in his voice.

He hadn't even bothered to ask who had given her the ring. "You sound surprised. Why?"

"Water stones are very rare, DG. I've never seen one on a wedding band before." He looked up into her face and smiled at her. "They symbolize the beauty of change. Coming from the Tin Man, I would guess it's his way of saying he's ready to face whatever comes at the two of you. It's his way of openly displaying his loyalty to you and his faith in your abilities."

She smiled at him. "Oh." She wanted to hug the man. Cain should have told her that.

"I take it your parents didn't take the news all that well if you're up here trying not to cry." He looked at her more closely. "I'm guessing you managed to show them your loyalty to Cain when you lost your temper."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "That obvious huh?" He snorted. "They said he wasn't good enough. Couldn't let that slide."

He gave a huge sigh. "I'm sure they were only surprised." She gave him a look. "Very surprised." She rolled her eyes. "If they don't calm down by tomorrow I'll give them at least fifteen reasons that it's a good idea for the two of you to get married."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Glitch."

He patted her back. "Anytime, Doll. You know I think he's a good match for you. And he certainly isn't going to let anyone hurt you. I don't think you could do better. Just don't tell the gun-slinger that, he'd never let me live it down." She grinned. "Now come on. Let's get you back to him and your sister before either of them decides to have a panic attack."

Author Note: To tired to think of something clever. Leave me one!


	43. Chapter 43

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: Does anybody know where I can catch a travel storm? Do I need a ticket or something?

She followed Glitch down three sets of stairs and five different hallways before he stopped in front of a set of wooden doors. She was completely turned around. She didn't even bother to ask where they were as Glitch opened the door and ushered her into a suit of rooms. Her mind was working overtime and she'd come up with a course of action. If her parents weren't pissed with her before they were going to be tonight. But no matter, she wouldn't be here to deal with it. She felt smugness settling down on her.

The rooms must belong to Az. She could tell from the color scheme. It was all pale greens and yellows and full of the spindly furniture she hated so much. But whatever, it made Az happy, and that's what mattered. Az was sitting wringing her hands on a loveseat as Cain stood like a statue in front of one of the wall length windows watching her sister with worry. As soon as the door clicked shut they both glanced up. Glitch pushed her gently inside. "Look what I found wandering around the halls."

She sighed walking over to her sister and placing her hands her sisters fluttering ones. "You ok, Az?"

Her sister smiled at her weakly. "I'm sorry, Deege. I didn't think they were going to corner you like that." She looked at her guiltily. "I should have helped you more."

She squeezed her hands and saw her glinting eyes reflected in her sisters. "No worries, Az. I took care of it. If mother talks to you like that again let me know." She waited patiently until Az reluctantly nodded her agreement. "Cool. Now is there any food around here? Someone didn't let me finish breakfast." Az blushed and waved her hand. A tray of food appeared on a small table next to them. She grinned letting go of her sister's hand. "Muffins!"

She stood up snatching one up as she walked over to Cain. She held out the pastry to him after she tore off part of the top and popped it in her mouth. He was watching her closely as she ate. She finished chewing her first mouthful before she said anything. "We're leaving."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

She tore off another piece of muffin. "Because we're going to elope." She plopped the next piece in her mouth. "I was thinking Vegas but Ahamo might think of that. So Atlantic City it is."

Cain was startled by this plan to say the least and probably confused by the Otherside references. He was gazing at her strangely as he hooked onto the important concept. "Why in Ozma's name would we elope?"

She sighed. "Because I refuse to deal with those people. Because I want to get married. Because this is about us and not anybody else." She jerked her thumb toward the door. "So lets go."

His eyes were searching her face as his Tin Man senses kicked in. He glanced back up at Glitch. "Where are our rooms, Headcase?"

"Across the hall." Cain grunted and taking the remains of the muffin set it on the table before dragging her toward the doors. Az and Glitch stared at them.

"Hey! Why do people keep stealing my food! I'm still hungry!" Come on! She hadn't eaten a proper meal in two days! Ranting and magical outburst took a lot of energy.

Cain had already pulled her across the hall and was opening the door to their rooms. "We'll get you food later. We need to talk right now." He shut the door and let her go. "What's going on, DG?"

She cast a silencing spell over the room as she started to pace in agitation. The semblance of calm she had managed to maintain for the last fifteen minutes evaporated almost instantly when the door had shut. Now she felt trapped, angry, and ashamed that she was related to her parents. She didn't even want to look at the Tin Man because somehow he would know.

Suddenly her progress was halted. Cain had grabbed her hips and spun her around to face him. She made a frustrated noise and pushed against his chest trying to get away. He growled and before she could process what was happening he had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. "Damn it! Put me down right now!"

"Stop thrashing. I'll put you down when I'm good and ready." That really only made her twist harder in his grasp as he walked toward the back of the suit. He grunted again tightened his grip on her as he walked into a bedroom. He kicked the door shut behind them and dumped her on the big bed. She looked up from the bed her temper rising again as she growled at him. Cain smirked. "That's better, Sweetheart. Why don't you let out whatever's botherin you? I do like to see you all worked up."

She spluttered at him. He was provoking her on purpose? After the week they had just had? "What! If you think hauling me around like luggage is going to make me open about my feelings your crazier than I thought, Wyatt Cain. Besides I already told you what I wanted to do! Why aren't we packing?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because you haven't told me why you suddenly want to run away with me."

"Cain, I always want to run away somewhere. You know this, you're usually chasing after me. This should not be a big shocker."

He moved to the side of the bed grabbed her thighs and pulled her flush against him. She wriggled still trying to avoid his gaze. He had obviously had enough because he suddenly placed one hand on her back and pushed them both up on the bed pinning her beneath him. As soon as she was secured he propped himself over her with one arm and captured her face with the other. He leaned down and kissed her softly his thumb caressing her cheek. Surprised by the sudden sweet contact she felt the fight drain out of her. She sighed in protest when he finally pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. "Talk to me, Darlin."

She sighed and closed her eyes. "My parents don't approve of you. I may have blown up a bunch of stuff when I disagreed with their analysis of the situation." He didn't say anything for a long time.

He cleared his throat and she opened her eyes. "You…" His voice was strangled. "Sweetheart, what did you blow up?"

She eyed him warily. "Your not upset?" He started laughing. Really hard. "Wyatt?"

He kissed her around his laughter as he tried to compose himself. "What did you blow up?" He insisted stubbornly.

She returned another one of his kisses thinking he had gone over the deep end. "Everything that was made of glass." He let out another gawff of laughter and started pressing kisses to other parts of her face.

"We can elope in the O.Z., Darlin. No need for you to call up another travel storm. When do you want to go? I know a judge in the city that will marry us. Do you mind if Jeb comes along? You might want to bring your sister, the Headcase, and Furball too."

"You're not going to argue with me about this?" She was finding this implausible.

He looked at her seriously. "No. I love you, I don't care what anyone else thinks about it."

A huge smile broke out over her face. "How long will it take us to get there and married?"

He blinked at her. "I don't know. By the time we find everyone probably a few hours. Why?"

That's about what she thought. "Ok get off me. We need to get this party started because in three hours if you're not inside me and making me scream I think I might actually self-destruct."

His eyes darkened dangerously but he got off her helping her to her feet as he straightened her mussed hair. Placing a last kiss to the place where her neck met her shoulder he growled at her. "Go get your sister and Glitch. Meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes and we can leave."

She grinned grabbing his face with complete and all consuming excitement coursing through her body as she kissed him hard and with a giggle dashed off. She heard his chuckle following her as she sprinted across the hallway and into her sister's room without hesitation. She should have knocked really. Or the mega brain should have known to lock the door.

Glitch and Az were totally tonguing in front of the window Cain had so recently vacated. "Dear God! My eyes! They burn!" The two sprang apart guiltily and her sister turned the most amazing shade of red she had ever seen. Glitch just started to stammer as if his brain had never been put back in his head. "Ok!" Glitch stopped talking abruptly. "So glad you two found a way to occupy your time while I was away, really, but we gotta go."

"Where are we going?" Az's blush was slowly receding as her curiosity took control.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening in through the open door. "Wyatt knows someone that'll marry us in the city." She grinned mischievously at her sister. "Wanna come?"

Glitch's lip twitched. "Doll, your parents are going to be livid."

She shrugged. "Like that's going to stop me." She turned back to Az and grabbed her hand. "Please come? I don't know anything about Outer Zone weddings. You have to help me magic up a dress once we get there! And I need a Maid of Honor. They do have those here don't they?"

Az looked delighted by the dress idea. "I can make it for you?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Just no ruffles!"

Then her sister tilted her head. "Maid of Honor?"

"On the Otherside when you get married your best female friend stands next to you. It's a big deal. Please? Break some more rules with your baby sister?"

She swore she saw tears in her sister's dark eyes before she was engulfed in a hug. "What are we waiting for? Let's go before Mom and Dad find out!"

Glitch grinned at them once Az let her go and led them down to where she told him Cain was waiting. When they arrived Raw was standing in a side passage watching for them. He indicated that they should follow him and they all darted down the side passage before they were spotted. At the end of it next to a rusty looking door Jeb and the Tin Man were waiting. How they had both managed to find and change into clean cloths in such a short amount of time was a mystery to her.

While Cain was still sporting his duster he had found an Outer Zone equivalent of a pair of black slacks and dark blue dress shirt. Jeb looked equally spiffy in dark brown pants and forest green shirt of the same style. He grinned impishly at her when he spotted her. "Can't do anything like a normal princess can you?"

"Naw, I like to cause a stir. Just think of the scandal this is going to cause when it gets out."

Jeb laughed as Cain rolled his eyes and open the door quietly. He scanned the area outside and nodded to them. "We're going to go fast and quiet. No trouble and no distractions." He glanced at her when he said the last part and she put on her angelic face.

Holding up her hands she said seriously. "I promise the only trouble I will get into is to marry a Tin Man today." Snickers went up around the group and Cain shook his head as he led them out the door and out one of the back entrances to the palace.

They wove their way quickly around the backstreets of one of Central City's nicer districts. It looked nothing like where they had found the Mystic Man all those months ago. But to be fair they were going to see a judge and not a man the witch had been trying to discredit as a druggy slash lunatic. Ten minutes later and Cain and Jeb veered abruptly to the left and up a steep hill. Walking up the steps of a nice looking house Cain rapped sharply on the glass paneled door.

A few minutes later and a well-dressed woman in what looked to be in her late sixties opened the door. She was obviously startled to see the Tin Man. "Wyatt Cain? I haven't seen you in years! What are you doing here?"

"Sorry to bother you, Isabelle. I was hoping I could call in that favor." The older woman put a hand on her hip and a smile tugged at her lips. She wondered what Wyatt had done for her but that was a story for later.

"Well this is bound to be interesting." Her eyes scanned the group behind him with interest. She moved to the side to allow them to enter her home. "I would love to know why you brought the two princess with you." Cain snorted and ushered them in the house.

Once they were all inside and in a small parlor the woman tapped her foot at Cain impatiently. He cleared his throat. "We need a judge to marry us."

Grey eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "And who might the other one in 'us' include?"

She waved jauntily. "That'd be me!" She could tell the judge was fighting back a laugh.

"And why do I have the honor of marrying one of the Princess's of the realm?"

Cain cleared his throat. "We're in a hurry."

She piped in. "And wedding arrangements?" She waved a hand. "Overrated."

The woman sighed sarcastically. "Yes, I'm sure that's the whole story. But far be it for me to stand in the way." She glanced at Wyatt. "Besides I do owe you. I'll go get the paperwork." The woman looked at her critically. "Is that what you're going to wear?"

Her sister made a noise of disgust. "Absolutely not." Az grabbed her hand and drew her into an adjoining room closing the door behind them. "What color do you want?"

"What?"

Az had her glowing hands raised. "What color?"

"It doesn't have to be white?"

Az wrinkled her nose. "White would wash you out. Why would you want that?"

She thought about it. "Can you make it match Wyatt's shirt?"

Az nodded. "That'll look nice with your eyes." Her sister's magic pulsed and she felt her cloths being replaced by a silky fabric. It shifted over her body easily as Az worked her ultimate girl power on her wedding dress. When she was done with the dress she moved closer to her and touched her hair. It started moving around until it fell in soft curls around her face and down her back.

She stood still until her sister was done and then stepped back. Then she frowned. "Did you change my underwear?"

Az grinned innocently. "What? Now it matches your dress."

She rolled her eyes and shifted again. "Az, I'm pretty sure I no longer have a bra. And I'm not sure there is enough fabric on my butt to match anything."

Az's laughter rang around the room like a bell. "Tell the Tin Man to thank me later. And you look gorgeous by the way." She looked down at the midnight blue dress. It was simple and flowed down from two small straps of lace down her body. It would have looked positively demure if the back of it hadn't dipped so far down. It rested at the small of her back while the blue lace crisscrossed her exposed skin.

"This is really pretty, Az. Thank you."

Her sister beamed at her. "Your welcome! Now come on!"

Her sister opened the door and she walked out behind her. She figured the change of wardrobe was worth it when Cain's jaw dropped. She felt her face heat up. Maybe she should wear dresses more. Everyone else was ready and smiling including her new favorite judge. She grinned in return suddenly feeling extremely shy when Cain held out his hand to her. She took it without hesitation and he smiled at her with more warmth in his eyes than she'd seen since the first time he'd made love to her. His hand caressed hers as they turned to face the older woman.

Her brown eyes sparkled with mirth at the strange group that had showed up at her house. "If your all ready?"

A resounding yes went up from the group as she started to read off their vows.

Author Note: Ok I expect some serious reviews for this fluffy chapter of doom. It was a bit extreme even for me. Hope you enjoyed the cotton candy taste I'm sure is still lingering in your mouth.


	44. Chapter 44

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer:

She found that the vows of marriage in the Outer Zone were very much like the one's on the Otherside. Other than the order of the wording of course and the whole sickness and health bit had an added spell clause. After her adventures she wasn't all that surprised by it. Then Wyatt cupped her face and gave her a chaste kiss with a not so innocent look as he pulled away. Naughty man and his teasing! The whole thing was over rather fast really. And she couldn't have been happier. Cain hadn't loosened his grip on her hand until the judge had smiled at them and led them to a small desk in the corner to sign their marriage certificate.

She suppressed a happy giggle at the sight of it. Nothing was boring in the O.Z. that was for sure. The paper, if that's what it was, shimmered like a rainbow. She grinned as Wyatt lifted up a pen and signed his name at the bottom. He handed it to her and kissed her cheek as she leaned down. She signed her name and then, of course, something unexpected happened. The paper flashed a blinding white and she straightened up in alarm. She heard several chuckles and one badly suppressed feminine giggle behind her as spots cleared from her vision.

"My wedding day and no one even warns me about the magical flash paper? I need new friends." She turned to Az. "And you were _so_ adopted." Her sister rolled her eyes and she saw Jeb smirking.

The Tin Man wrapped his arm around her waist to get her attention. She looked over at him and he pointed down to the paper. Below their signatures their new names were interwoven in an intricate design. So much for Gale. She reached out hesitantly and when no one said anything she picked up the paper. It sparkled where her fingers held it. "Wow." She breathed. This was way impressive.

Az moved behind her and let out a small gasp. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow at her sister in confusion. Az glanced over at the Tin Man. "Her name's Cain." He smirked at the older princess and his grip on her waist tightened. Her eyebrow shot up to her hairline. That wasn't normal? She opened her mouth to ask but the Tin Man careful took the paper from her and handed it to Isabelle. It sparkled when he touched it too.

"You'll have that filed and recognized for us?"

Isabelle smiled serenely. "Of course. It will be here when you get back. Most likely under lock and key." She sighed in a reminiscent sort of way. "I haven't been the cause of any political gossip in years. You do know how to make a stir, Tin Man. Now off you go. I don't think you want to be here once word gets around that you just married the youngest princess." There was a happy-go-lucky glint in the older woman's eye as she said that. She had a feeling Isabelle may have been a rabble-rouser in her youth.

Cain chuckled and the lot of them headed for the door. She thanked the judge and they were down the stairs and in another back street faster than a hungry Papay after his diner. The Tin Man had a small smile playing over his lips as he stopped them and looked a Jeb and Glitch. "Think you two can get the Princess back to the palace?"

Jeb snorted. "I think we can handle it."

Glitch sighed dramatically at the young man. "You say that now but don't forget she's related to DG. She's libel to run off at any minute." Jeb groaned as her sister glared at them both crossing her arms over her chest.

She grinned. "I think the more important question is where were going for the next week."

Cain glanced at her out of the corner of his eye his lip twitching like mad. "Don't worry, Darlin. We're not going far." He turned to Glitch. "Think you can keep a secret for that long, Headcase?"

Glitch rubbed his hands together. "That I can do." Raw chuckled as he picked up on whatever the advisor was thinking. Jeb just looked nervous.

Cain grunted. "Good. See you lot in a week. I'd tell you to stay out of trouble but I'd be wasting my breath."

She hugged Az as Cain said goodbye to Jeb. "You don't need to tell them that you know what happened. More fun for me later if they don't know I had accomplices." Az shook her head as she smiled. Waving with one hand she latched onto Cain with the other. "Hope you had fun at the wedding. Sorry about the invitations. They must have gotten lost in the mail or something." Another round of exasperated and amused looks were thrown at her as Cain hauled her to the left and around a corner.

She couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face as the Tin Man wove his way toward the outer walls of the city. She didn't even care where they were headed as long as they got there soon. Before she could start to complain he slowed down the quick pace he had set and turned her down one more narrow, yet surprisingly clean, alley. He paused at the end of it and turned to her eyes sparkling. "Can you be good for another ten minutes?"

"I'm the epitome of good."

He snorted at her. "Cast a glamour over us so we don't look so recognizable." She nodded and cast the spell. As soon as it solidified he twined his fingers with hers and walked up to the back door of a small well-kept house. He knocked on the worn wooden door and they waited. Moments later and an older gentlemen answered. Cain tilted his head in greeting. "Afternoon. Names Cain, I'm the one that sent the messenger a few hours ago."

The man smiled and let them in the house. Ten minutes later after the nice man had given them the key to the house and left she briefly wondered how Cain had managed to clean up, change, find Jeb and Raw, inform them of their elopement, and send a messenger to rent out a bed and breakfast in fifteen minutes. He was a very efficient man when motivated. Then she decided she didn't want to think about that anymore because he had her pressed between him and the wall and seemed very intent on driving all the air from her lungs.

She moaned against him her hands reaching out to capture his face. She let her fingertips dance over the planes of his face and he suddenly slowed down his hot frantic kisses. She forced her eyes open. His eyes were as dark as her dress and flashing with want. His breath gusted against her ear as he pressed even closer to her. "Time to find a bed, DG Cain."

Her breath caught in her throat as the implications of that statement hit her full force. Her hands left his face and wrapped around his neck when she felt his arm glide down her body and hook under her knees. He lifted her up and headed down the hallway turning into the nearest bedroom and setting her down on the bed gently. He stayed still crouched down in front of her with his hands on her sides. His thumbs rubbed her just firmly enough not to tickle her ribs as he smiled at her.

She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. "Guess what I heard?"

He raised his scarred eyebrow. "Hmmm?"

"The youngest Princess ran off with that brave Tin Man earlier this afternoon. Isn't that crazily romantic?"

He chuckled at her. "From what I understand neither of them were all that sane to begin with." She grinned as he continued. "But rumor has it they're head over heels in love with each other." That was all she could take. She pounced him.

He laughed catching her mid-pounce and tossing them both back on the bed before they ended up on the floor. He kissed her resting his weight carefully over her. "You-" Kiss. "are-" Kiss. "so beautiful." Kiss. She hummed happily against his mouth as his hand snuck up to caress her breast. She arched into his touch and he growled in approval when he found that she was missing a piece of her usual wardrobe.

She shuddered in pleasure as the silky material ran over her skin. She could feel the heat of his hand through her dress and lost any semblance of control she had. She went for the buttons of his shirt with single-minded intensity. Running out of patience she accidentally ripped a few of them off his shirt in her excitement. He grunted pulling up and glaring half-heartedly at her. She ignored him splaying her fingers over the light smattering of hair over his chest. "That was the only shirt I had here."

She smiled seductively up at him before she nibbled up his neck. "Consider it your wedding present to your new wife."

He grabbed her neck hauling her up to his mouth so he could kiss her. "I haven't even started working on your wedding gift, Sweetheart." With that he sat back on his knees and tossed his shirt to the floor next to the bed. She sat up after him latching onto his pants and unhooking them without missing a beat. He grabbed her hands kissing her palms. "You said I had three hours, DG. I still have thirty minutes before you self-destruct."

Her eyes widened, he had to be kidding. She could not wait thirty minutes to have him inside her. She'd already waited over a week. He let her hands go and set them next to her on the bed. "Wyatt… we have our whole honeymoon to play. I want you now."

His eyes dilated and the hands that were running down her legs paused as he glanced up at her. She really thought she had him for a second, until he smirked at her. "You are to clever for your own good. That's not going to work." His hands made there way down to her feet and removed her shoes. "I'm going to have you screamin long before I'm inside of you." She whimpered as his fingers traced over her anklebones. "Only question is how many times." Her mouth went dry as her pulse skyrocketed. Oh, sweet Ozma, she wasn't sure if that made her the happiest or saddest woman in the O.Z. at the moment.

He lifted her leg and her dress flowed in a silky wave down to her thigh as he placed soft kisses on the top of her foot. Her eyes fluttered opened and closed as one of his hands roamed down under her leg to hold her calf massaging it as his lips traced her skin. Her breathing quickly became erratic as he made his way slowly, excruciatingly so, up her leg. He made sure to kiss every inch of skin that he exposed as he went. Pushing the material of the dress up to the bottom of her hips she sighed in relief as his finger and lips grazed her inner thigh. Then she let out a strangled cry of frustration when he caught her other leg and started the same sweet torture.

She felt him chuckling against the skin of her leg and she tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged him insistently upward. He grunted but made no effort to speed up. "Wyatt Cain! I am going to hurt you!" He was unmoved. Time for desperate measures. "Cowboy-" She pleaded, at this point she was not above begging. "Please." His eyes darted up to her hers and he rested his face on her upper thigh. "Please."

She heard his breathing hitch and then she felt his hand glide up between her legs and start to rub her. She moaned loudly at the sudden onslaught of sensations right where she wanted them to be. He rubbed her through her barely there lace panties as she pressed down against his hand. He brought her up to the edge then took his hand away hooking his fingers around the sides of the lace and tugging it down her legs. She lay on the bed quivering and breathing raggedly. He reached down and sat her up bunching up the bottom of her dress in his hands before he peeled it slowly up and off of her.

His eyes raked over her body possessively and she laid back silently among the pillows. Thankfully he decided to follow her down. His lips continued to assault the skin over her ribs as one of his hands found its way back between her legs. Her legs spread farther apart on their own as he flicked her clit and she came apart. Letting out a strangled cry her body went limp below his while he took his time exploring her. Blowing lightly on the skin he was teasing she felt shivers of pleasure run across her body. He was setting her nerve endings on edge and she could already feel herself rising up again.

Deciding to take action she ran her nails over his back as he made his way up her body. He groaned softly and nipped her collarbone before he turned his attention to her neck. She'd had enough of this. With a growl she wrapped her leg over his hip and flipped them over before he could process exactly what had happened. He grabbed her hips holding her to him as she grinned wickedly down at him rotating her bare legs against his pant covered ones.

"You are the worst tease in the history of the world." Her grin turned into a coy little smile as she leaned over him jerking her hips and scratching his chest. "I think you may have taught me a little to well, Tin Man." She saw his eyes flash with amusement before she bit his neck. Then he cursed grabbing her neck and flipping them back over.

"Impatient." He growled at her.

She started pushing at his pants. "You like it, Tin Man. Don't pretend having me ripping your cloths off because I'm so wet for you doesn't turn you on."

Any semblance of control he had up until that point suddenly snapped. He got off the bed long enough to get out of his pants before he was covering her with his body. He pulled her into a searing kiss thrusting his tongue between her lips as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Rubbing himself against her she let out a loud pitched whimper and twisted under him.

Releasing her lips he rested his forehead against hers as they panted. As soon as he locked eyes with her he hooked one arm under her leg and pushed it up thrusting into her slowly. She moaned never breaking eye contact while her back arched up off the bed. He let out a long breath as he began to move in her. As they found their rhythm he began to whisper endearments to her. She kissed him between his words of love and soon their soft slow dance became frantic. Overwhelmed by emotions and sensations she clutched at his arms as his thrusts came harder and faster. She was racing toward bliss and Cain was tracing her jaw and neck with hot kisses.

Her nails dug into his skin and she swiveled her hips. "Come with me, Wyatt." Then she screamed pressing as close to him as she could get and clutching at him with her inner muscles trying to get him to fall along with her. He let out a shout thrusting as far into her as he could before his body collapsed over hers. They both lay in a sweaty tangled heap among the sheets trying to catch their breath.

Once she had enough air she began to laugh softly running her fingers across his sweaty forehead. His eyes opened lazily to regard her. "I love you, Cowboy." He smiled his arm tightening around her. "And just think, you promised I didn't have to put on any cloths for a whole six days and what? Twenty some hours?"

He snorted kissing her lightly. "True. This should be fun. Let's just hope you don't get cold."

She pretended to think about that very seriously. "I think you could warm me up if that happens." The Tin Man shook his head his eyes twinkling with mischief, as his hands got sneaky again.

Author Note: One more chappy, loves. Then I'll have to find a whole new adventure for these two. Leave me one!


	45. Chapter 45

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: For the last time in this story, I don't own Tin Man!... But I still want to.

She decided at some point that she rather liked math if the subject matter was right. For instance, take one Tin Man and add one Princess then subtract all cloths and math was her new best friend. Seriously, if Toto had been teaching her this stuff instead of politics they would have gotten along better. Then again that was kinda disturbing. Cain was a much better tutor really.

Unfortunately this type of math had nothing to do with controlling time because their honeymoon week was going to be up in like ten minutes. She lay on her stomach across the bed refusing to put her dress, which had at some point been hung up, back on. Cain who already had on his pants on, and such nice pants they were, was shrugging into his shirt. He buttoned the bottom three buttons then turned to her with a rueful smirk on his lips. "What do you propose I do about this?" He indicated the missing buttons.

She crossed her arms and propped her chin on them. "I think you should take it back off and then we could stay naked for another week."

He snorted shaking his head. "DG…" She simply raised her eyebrow at him. "Could you please fix this?"

She sighed unhappily but nodded. He stepped over to the bed and crouched down in front of her. She uncurled one of her arms and let her light flash as she cast a spell to replace the missing buttons. Lips twitching he finished buttoning up the shirt before reaching out to run his thumb over her bottom lip. "Are you pouting, Darlin?"

She glared up at him mumbling around his thumb. "Yes."

He chuckled kissing her forehead. "Come on, DG. We have to get out of this house eventually-" She made an annoyed noise of protest but he pressed on his eyes laughing at her. "and we have to go talk to your parents." She opened her mouth to protest this plan. Because that was a bad plan in her opinion. But he kissed her swiftly again. "Then if you want we can leave."

She pulled back looking at him utterly baffled. "What?" No freaking way had he just said that.

"We don't have to stay at the palace if you don't want to. I certainly don't want you to be unhappy and considering the last time you talked to your parents you nearly blew them up. I didn't think you'd want to live there."

She shook her head propping herself up on her elbows. "But…where…we could really leave? Won't they try to stop us?"

He shrugged. "They could try. Not much they could do at this point. In fact if they want your help now they'll have to ask instead of simply assuming your going to fix everything for them."

This wasn't getting any clearer. "Huh?"

Standing he walked over to the wardrobe and tugged her dress from the closet. "Cloths on." He tossed her the wedding dress and she caught it automatically sitting up. She was staring at him holding it in her lap waiting for him to explain himself. He pointed at the silky material. "Back in the dress. I can't have a conversation with you when you're like that."

She giggled and stood up reluctantly putting the dress on. "Leave it to you to blackmail me back into my cloths." Once the dress flowed back over her body she dragged her shoes out from under the bed and slipped her feet in them before putting her hands on her hips and looking up at the smirking Tin Man. "Ok, spill."

He sighed, smirk disappearing, running his hand through his hair. "I didn't think your name would change, but since it did-" He shrugged. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I should have guessed this would happen as soon as you told me Jeb was family to you."

She continued to stare at him blankly. He stared back at her. She let out a frustrated breath. "Again with the what?"

He suddenly seemed to realize she was completely out of the loop. "DG… you're not a Gale anymore. When the magic bound us in the marriage contract it made you part of my family. I assume you must feel more at home with me and Jeb than you do with your parents. That's not all that amazing considering you told me you don't remember them."

Comprehension dawned. "So that's why Az sounded so shocked?"

He nodded pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her waist. "I've never heard tell of a royal having their name change, no matter how attached they were to their consort." He nuzzled his face against her neck. "Always full of surprises, Sweetheart." She could hear the pride in his voice despite the fact that it was muffled against her skin.

"You said they couldn't make me stay?"

She felt him smile at the question. "Nope, part of my family, not theirs. And since you're my wife it makes us equals. Between that and your birthright it means you don't answer to anyone, although I would appreciate a little more consideration about your plans in the future." He nipped her neck gently and she got the hint.

"Ok, ok, I promise! No more going through with crazy plans without talking to you first."

"Good." He straightened. "Now can you get us to the palace? We can leave the key here for the innkeeper to find."

She nodded tossing an arm around his neck firmly. "Ready?" He grunted in affirmative. She let her light out and focused on the breakfast room she had found her parents in the week before and with a firm tug shimmered them into the Central City Palace.

They landed somewhat off balance and Cain tightened his grip on her hips with one arm catching the side of the table with the other. He managed to keep them upright although they staggered about like two drunks for several seconds as their legs tangled together. As soon as they got their equilibrium back she started to giggle figuring she needed to work on her landings. But to be fair the last time she'd done this she had been shot and carrying an extra person plus a hitchhiker.

She could feel Wyatt let out a soft rumbling laugh right before she heard an awkward cough behind them. Cain spun them around his free hand flying to his holster on instinct. Her head whipped around and her eyes landed on Glitch who was obviously trying to get their attention. He twitched his head to the right and her eyes flashed to her openly glaring parents and behind them to her beaming sister. This was going to be fun for sure. She felt the Tin Man relax his hold on the gun although he didn't let her go.

She gave her parents a strained smile. Then she figured what the hell? "Hey there! How was your week?"

Her mother's jaw twitched but she could have _sworn_ Ahamo's eyes flashed with amusement for the briefest moment. She felt Cain sigh behind her and knowing him he had probably just rolled his eyes at her. Ahamo leaned back in his chair his face impassive. "I have to say our week was stressful. We spent it secretly ordering the royal guard to scour the countryside looking for our youngest daughter. I rather think it was a fruitless endeavor considering the man in charge of the search is your bodyguards son." He waved his hand at Cain. "Would you care to tell us where you were?"

Well if he was going to be nice about it she figured she could tell him. "On our honeymoon."

Ahamo made a strange sound, as if he had totally expected this answer, that was nearly covered by the scrapping of her mother's chair against the stone floor. When Lavender started talking she was no longer in mom mode. She was the Queen of the O.Z. "This is completely unacceptable, DorothyGale! I told you our family could not afford this kind of marriage right now! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

She raised her chin meeting her mother's purple eyes unflinchingly. "I know exactly what I did." Her calm tone only seemed to spark the Queen's rage higher. "And as _I_ told _you_ before, _you_ don't get to tell _me_ how I'm going to live _my_ life."

Her mother opened her mouth and to volley back but Cain stepped in knocking the wind out of her sails entirely. "She's not part of your family anymore at any rate so any political crisis you were worried about shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Amethyst eyes flashed up to icy blue ones. "Of course she is part of this family! A impulsive mistake is not going to get her banished from our mists!"

Cain's lips quirked up at the sides at her mother's tone. He was used to dealing with her on a regular basis so what her mother thought she was going to accomplish by trying to intimidate him was beyond her. "No." His arm tightened around her possessively and for the first time ever she saw uncertainty in her mother's eyes. "She's part of my family now. Her name changed at the ceremony."

Silence fell around the room; Lavender's face was expressionless. Ahamo was obviously taken aback, "Her name changed?" His light blue eyes darted to his wife's face. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end suddenly and her hands pulsed with magic on their own accord. She felt a powerful and consuming urge to throw up a shield between her new husband and her mother.

The Queen and the Tin Man were suddenly having the stare off of the century. The Queen was _pissed_. "DG is a direct decedent of the Grey Gale, she is my daughter, and magically more powerful than you. It is impossible that her name changed at her marriage ceremony, no matter how foolish the match may have been."

Cain snorted at her mother. "I can see why she transitioned to my family so easily. You don't know your daughter at all. If you did this wouldn't be nearly as big an upset. If anything DG is one surprise after another." His eyes flicked to Azkadilla. "If I were you I'd get closer to that one before she marries or you might have a bigger problem on your hands than you thought. The O.Z.'s never been ruled by someone who wasn't a Gale. I wonder what that would tell your people."

She was impressed by Cain's unflinching assessment of the situation. She hadn't even begun to think of the political ramifications of her name change. Apparently Cain had and her mother, despite her anger, was listening to him. Something shifted between them quietly and Ahamo stood up. "I hadn't thought you knew much about politics, Cain."

The Tin Man's eyes flicked to her father. "I did manage to pick a few things up while working for the Mystic Man. Not that it takes a great deal of foresight to see what could happen if Azkadilla's name changes as well. You thought the people might be worried about her taking the throne after the witch left her? How do you think they would feel if she changed houses on you as well? Could throw the whole Zone into civil war. Look damned bad if you lost both girls." His eyes sparked. "Might be considered strange that your youngest is an odd ball-" She made a strangled noise at him but he ignored her. "but it'll be acceptable." He paused as her father shifted uneasily and her mother's lips compressed. "Won't be acceptable if you loose the heir apparent."

Ahamo sighed in frustration as he nodded at Cain's assessment of the situation. Her mother remained silent and still as a statue. This was really terribly awkward. She always thought getting married was supposed to be this great thing that everyone was supposed to be happy about. No one had even congratulated them! They were talking about politics, or in Az and Glitch's case, trying to be invisible. This sucked and suddenly all she wanted to do was leave and tell Momster and Popsicle what had happened. They would at least be excited about it, and knowing Momster she'd probably throw them a party. While she was thinking about this the conversation had continued on around her, apparently Glitch had decided to speak up on their behalf. He must have been doing a pretty good job too because they were no longer glaring. But she didn't care all the fun had run out of her.

She twined her fingers with Cain's and let her light flash into him so fast no one else noticed. She sent him a strong picture of Milltown and she felt him twitch and look down at her. She gave him a one-shouldered shrug and looked longingly at the door. He followed her line of sight then glanced at her, then to her parents. She rolled her eyes at the royal couple who were now in a losing verbal battle with Glitch. Fine then. The Tin Man tried to stop her but he wasn't fast enough. He shouldn't have told her she didn't have to answer to anyone anymore. Seriously… what had he been thinking? "Enough!"

Everyone turned to look at her and she knew Cain was torn between amusement and annoyance. She stared at her parents. "What is wrong with you? I just got married and I don't even get a 'be happy' or 'I'm so glad you married the man you love?'" She felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes and Ahamo had the decency to look ashamed.

"Spitfire, now don't cry…"

She huffed at him. "What am I six? I'm not going to cry!" She pressed her lips together. "We're leaving. I can't deal with you two right now."

Wyatt pressed his hand to the small of her back and pushed her toward the door tilting his head toward her parents. "We'll be back in a few weeks to talk." He had her out of the room in so fast she wondered if he had developed magic powers too. "Let's grab our packs and change, then we can leave." She felt a sudden and immense surge of gratitude toward the man. She knew she'd married him for a reason.

They weaved their way through the halls and stairways of the palace and nearly jogged into the suite of rooms they had been given over a week ago. At least no one had messed with their stuff while they'd been away. Closing the bedroom door behind them Cain surveyed the room with his eyes while she darted toward the packs. Slipping out of her shoes she opened the bag and tore out a pair of pants and a shirt. Slipping out of her dress she set it on the bed and snatching a pair of underwear she dressed quickly as the Tin Man grabbed his own pack.

While he was getting dressed in his traveling cloths she dug out the comb he had made her and put her hair up with it. She closed her pack as he was adjusting his holster. "I want to stop at the Papay Fields if we're going to Milltown."

He grunted flashing a smile at her. Placing his fedora on his head he slung the bag over his shoulder and caught her wrist dragging her to him. He pulled her into a hug and she relaxed against him. "Don't look so sad, Sweetheart, doesn't suit you at all. They'll calm down by the time we're back."

"Yeah and pigs'll fly."

"What?" He was completely bemused by that Otherside saying. She tilted her head back and grinned at him.

"Mean's it's not going to happen. But you're right." She stood on her toes and kissed the side of his mouth. "Let's go find another adventure, Tin Man."

"Yes, that's all we need, another adventure." He muttered sarcastically.

She poked his chest. "You are so right! How do you come up with these amazing ideas?"

He sighed melodramatically. "You are nothing but trouble you know that?"

"Duh. And now you're stuck with me _forever_." She said in a singsong voice.

He opened his mouth to reply when they heard a knock on the door. His jaw snapped shut and his eyebrow shot up when Ahamo started talking on the other side of the door. "DG, please, I'd like to talk to you before you leave."

She shot Wyatt a confused look before disentangling herself from him and moving hesitantly toward the door. Apparently getting out quietly wasn't an option. Opening it she came face to face with her father. "What did you want to talk about, Ahamo?"

She saw a flash of desperation in his eyes but his voice was even. "Can I come in?"

Nodding she stepped aside and he walked into the room. Cain had set his pack down and was waiting silently for the Consort to say what he'd come to say. "Spitfire, I know you're upset with us-" She opened her mouth but he held up his hand. "I don't blame you." Oh shut up. "Heaven knows your mother and I were anything but prudent when we got married. We just didn't have to deal with any family members butting into it."

Was this his way of giving his blessing? She felt relief flood through her and with a watery laugh she hurled herself at him. Letting out a startled grunt her father managed to wrap his arms around her as he staggered backward. His arms tightened and she felt him release a trembling breath as she nearly squeezed the air from his lungs. It occurred to her somewhat belatedly that this was only the third time she had voluntarily touched him since she had gotten back to the Outer Zone. He patted her back and kissed the top of her head before he let her go. Holding her arms as they separated he gave her a genuine smile. "I'll talk your mother down by the time you get back."

"Thank you." It came out choked and more full of emotion than she would have liked. And she wasn't just thanking him for talking to Lavender either. Judging from the emotions flickering across his face he knew it.

He gave her a roguish grin and jerked his thumb to the door. "Off you go before your mother finds you. I'll tell your sister you said goodbye." He turned to Cain. "Take care of her, Tin Man, or you'll have me to deal with."

Wyatt nodded sharply and tossing his duster over his shoulders headed toward the door holding out his hand to her. "Ahamo."

Taking his hand she started to the door twisting so she could walk backward. "Bye, Dad." Her last view of her father was a good one. He had a happy smile on his face as if Christmas had come early for him.

"That should make things easier." Cain commented.

She hummed merrily holding onto his hand more firmly. "Thank Ozma for carnie parents. Really levels out the whole royal pomp thing."

He looked over at her as they walked down toward the barracks, she assumed they were going to pick up Raw and talk to Jeb. "Should I even ask what a carnie is?"

She giggled. "It's a term for people who work for a traveling circus on the Otherside. Actually it's kinda derogatory, people think it's bad to live like gypsies for some reason. Never could work that one out."

His steps faltered. "Your father was in a circus?" He was completely incredulous.

She grinned. "How do you think he got that balloon he arrived in?"

"I thought those were common on the Otherside."

"Yeah, ok, you think that, Tin Man."

"I see why you're so strange now. You can't help it, between the magic and the wanderlust its no wonder…Can you juggle? It must be in your blood."

"Hey! Since when is the real magic not cool enough?" He smirked at her. " Besides that seems unfair considering you're the one that wants to go on _another_ adventure!"

"I never said that! Don't twist my words!"

"You say that and yet here we are getting ready to head right back out into the woods."

Cain began to grumble under his breath. "It's settled I either need more bullets or more patience. Don't know what I'm going to do with you. Because eventually something is going to eat you."

"Oh nonsense. It's far more likely that it'll eat you first giving me time to run away."

He used his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'd love to disagree with you but I'll be twice damned if that isn't true."

Leaning into him she took his hand away from his face and stopped their progress. Looking up into his blue eyes she smiled. "Don't worry, Wyatt, I'd never let anything do more then chew on you a little bit. I love you to much."

He pressed his forehead to hers the brim of his hat brushing her hair. His lips quirked up in a smile while his eyes twinkled in delight. "That's very thoughtful of you, Darlin. Especially considering whatever would be chewing on me would have been after you to begin with." She snickered wrapping her arms around his neck. "But I suppose I don't mind being chewed on if it means you get to run away, or worse, make yet another new friend." He kissed her then and she melted against him. Pulling back he kissed her nose and cheeks tightening his arms around her. "Now let's go before I change my mind about that adventure."

She laughed enthusiastically wriggling out of his grasp and capturing his hands in her dragging him down the hall. "Awesome! Let's get Raw! Won't be any fun without him!"

He shook his head but let her drag him toward the barracks. "Love, you're going to be the death of me." She gave him a thousand watt smile loving every minute she got to harass her Tin Man. This was going to be such fun!

Author Note: Hope you all like it! I had fun with this one. And other than asking/begging/loving you all forever for reviewing I thought I would ask for your opinion on something. I want to start another story but I've gotten so many requests for a sequel to Path Less Chosen that I'm considering it. Sooooo since you guys are my readers, do you want a brand new story or a sequel? Let me know either on the review board or through e-mail. Hope to hear from ya so I can start soon!


End file.
